JP2016033534A - Toner container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner container that has sufficient durability and can give a good operational feeling of an operation lever to a user, and an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A toner container 50 includes: an opening/closing mechanism 53 that can open/close a discharge port 52 by rotation around a shaft center P1; a lever 67 that is rotatably operated by a shaft center P3 parallel to the shaft center P1; a locking member 100 that is rotatably pivoted by a shaft center P2 parallel to the shaft center P1 and can move between a locking position to lock the opening/closing mechanism and the lever and a lock cancellation position; a lever-side extension part 671 that is provided on the lever and extends in the direction of rotation of the lever; and a lock-side extension part 110 that is provided on the locking member, has the rigidity higher in a direction along an arc locus drawn by the extension part through displacement of the extension part associated with the rotation of the lever than that in its radial direction, and when the lever is rotated while the locking member is located at the lock cancellation position, is brought into slide contact with the extension part, while deformed in the radial direction by the extension part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner container capable of opening and closing a toner discharge port for discharging toner from a container main body to an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus to which the toner container is attached.

  A developing device is mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer that forms an image on printing paper by an electrophotographic method. By performing development by the developing device, the toner inside the developing device is reduced. Therefore, the image forming apparatus is configured to be detachable from a toner container in which toner is accommodated, and supplies the toner from the toner container to the developing device while the toner container is mounted.

  The toner container includes a stirring paddle for stirring the toner, a toner discharge port for discharging the toner to the outside, a screw for conveying the toner to the toner discharge port, and a shutter member for opening and closing the toner discharge port. Is provided. Conventionally, when an operation lever attached to the toner container or the apparatus main body is operated, the shutter member is displaced between the open position and the closed position, thereby opening and closing the toner discharge port (see Patent Document 1). .

JP 2006-309147 A

  By the way, in this type of image forming apparatus, there is a case where a mechanism is provided for giving the user a good feeling of operation of the operation lever. In other words, when the operation lever is rotated to open and close the shutter member, a resistance force is applied to the operation lever to cause the user to feel a load (resistance feeling).

  However, the strength of the member that gives the resistance force to the operation lever is not sufficient, and the operation force of the operation lever is deformed by the reaction force from the operation lever or the load to be felt by the user is not sufficient, or the durability In some cases, it was damaged due to lack.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a toner container and an image forming apparatus that have sufficient durability and can give a good operation feeling of an operation lever to a user.

  A toner container according to one aspect of the present invention includes a container main body, a toner discharge port, an opening / closing member, a lever member, a lock member, a lever side extending portion, and a lock side extending portion. The container body is detachable from the apparatus body of the image forming apparatus, and contains toner. The toner discharge port is formed in the container body. The opening / closing member can open and close the toner discharge port by a rotation operation around a predetermined first rotation axis. The lever member is pivotally supported by a second rotation shaft parallel to the first rotation shaft, and is operated between a first operation position and a second operation position. The lock member is pivotally supported by a third rotation shaft that is parallel to the first rotation shaft, a lock position that locks the movement of the opening and closing member and the lever member, and a lock that releases the lock. It can move between release positions. The lever side extending portion is provided on the lever member and extends in a rotation direction of the lever member. The lock-side extension portion is provided on the lock member, and compared with a radial direction of an arc-shaped locus drawn by the lever-side extension portion due to displacement of the lever-side extension portion as the lever member rotates. The rigidity in the direction along the trajectory is high, and the radial direction receives the force from the lever side extending portion as the lever member is rotated in a state where the lock member is located at the unlock position. It is slidably contacted with the lever-side extending portion while being deformed.

  An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes an apparatus main body and the toner container that is detachable from the apparatus main body, and the apparatus main body includes the toner container when the toner container is attached to the apparatus main body. A drive transmission mechanism configured to transmit the driving force input by operating the lever member to the opening and closing member;

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a toner container and an image forming apparatus that have sufficient durability and can give a good operation feeling of an operation lever to a user.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the toner container is mounted on the intermediate transfer unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the toner container and its mounting portion. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of the right side portion of the toner container. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the configuration of the right side portion of the toner container. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the configuration of the right side portion of the toner container as viewed from a direction different from FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the right side portion of the toner container in which the lever of the operation unit is rotated. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the positions of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion according to the operation position of the lever of the operation portion. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional configuration of the right side portion of the toner container. FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration of the right side portion of the toner container in a state where the cover is not attached. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a lock structure of the lock member and the opening / closing mechanism. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the lock member alone. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a single lever. FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing an engagement structure between a cover and a lever. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the lock-side extending portion. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a contact state between the sliding contact portion and the sliding contact portion according to the rotation state of the lever. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the pivot position of the lever and the position of the lock member and the like with the cover removed. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a cut surface obtained by cutting the toner container along a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis P3 and passing through the sliding contact portion and the engagement portion. FIG. 19 is a diagram partially showing the configuration of the support plate of the mounting portion. FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of the drive transmission mechanism. FIG. 21 is an enlarged perspective view showing the drive transmission mechanism. FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the drive transmission mechanism. FIG. 23 is a side view showing a modification of the side surface of the toner container with the cover member removed. FIG. 24 is a partially broken view showing a modified example of the toner container.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In the following description, the vertical direction 6 is defined with reference to a state (the state shown in FIG. 1) in which the image forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is installed on a flat support surface. Also, the front-rear direction 7 is defined with the left side of the paper surface of FIG. Further, a horizontal direction 8 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1) is defined when the image forming apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 is viewed from the front. Accordingly, the front side is the right side of the image forming apparatus 10 and the back side is the left side with respect to the paper surface of FIG.

[Image forming apparatus 10]
The image forming apparatus 10 is an apparatus having at least a printing function. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 is a so-called tandem type color printer. The image forming apparatus 10 prints an image on a sheet-like printing paper using a developer containing toner. The image forming apparatus 10 only needs to have a printing function. For example, the image forming apparatus 10 may be an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions including the printing function, a FAX apparatus, and a copying machine. Good. Of course, not a color image but a single color image may be formed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 mainly includes four image forming units 21, an intermediate transfer unit 22, a paper feeding device 25, a fixing device 26, a secondary transfer device 27, and an exposure device 24. And four toner containers 50 (50A to 50D). These components are attached to an apparatus main body 28 as a casing constituting an external frame (not shown) and an internal frame (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 10. The toner container 50 is an example of a toner container in the image forming apparatus 10.

  The four image forming units 21 are disposed below the intermediate transfer unit 22 inside the apparatus main body 28. The image forming units 21 are arranged in parallel along the front-rear direction 7. Each image forming unit 21 executes an image forming process for forming an image on printing paper based on a so-called electrophotographic system. Specifically, each image forming unit 21 prints an image on printing paper based on image data input from the outside via a network communication unit (not shown). The image forming unit 21 includes a photosensitive drum 11, a charging device (not shown), a developing device 12, a primary transfer device 13, and the like. The image forming unit 21 forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum 11 and sequentially superimposes and transfers the toner image onto a transfer belt 23 provided in the intermediate transfer unit 22. The transfer belt 23 moves in the direction of the arrow 19 and the toner images are sequentially transferred onto the moving transfer belt 23. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the image forming units 21 corresponding to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow are arranged in a row in order from the downstream side in the movement direction (arrow 19 direction) of the transfer belt 23 in the apparatus main body 28. Is arranged.

  The intermediate transfer unit 22 is disposed above the image forming unit 21. A driving pulley 31 and a driven pulley 32 are provided at both ends of the intermediate transfer unit 22 in the front-rear direction 8. The transfer belt 23 is supported so as to hang over the driving pulley 31 and the driven pulley 32. Thereby, the belt surface extends in the front-rear direction 8 in a horizontal state. Further, since the transfer belt 23 is supported by the driving pulley 31 and the driven pulley 32, the transfer belt 23 can move (run) in the direction of the arrow 19 while the surface thereof is in contact with the surface of each photosensitive drum 11. . The transfer belt 23 is an endless annular belt made of a material such as rubber or urethane.

  The secondary transfer device 27 transfers the toner image composed of a plurality of colors transferred to the transfer belt 23 onto the printing paper. The printing paper on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 26. The fixing device 26 fixes the toner image transferred to the printing paper on the printing paper by heat. The fixing device 26 includes a heating roller 26A that is heated to a high temperature, and a pressure roller 26B that is disposed to face the heating roller 26A. The printing paper conveyed to the fixing device 26 is conveyed while being nipped by a predetermined urging force at the nip portion between the heating roller 26A and the pressure roller 26B, so that the toner image is fused to the printing paper. Thereafter, the printing paper is discharged to a paper discharge tray 29 provided on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 28.

  The image forming apparatus 10 may have a configuration in which the transfer belt 23 is used as a conveyance belt, and the toner image is directly superimposed and transferred onto a printing sheet conveyed on the conveyance belt. Further, the image forming apparatus 10 may be configured to use a roller-shaped intermediate transfer member instead of the transfer belt 23.

  The four toner containers 50 (50 </ b> A to 50 </ b> D) are disposed above the intermediate transfer unit 22. The four toner containers 50 are arranged in a line along the transfer belt 23 in the front-rear direction 7 inside the apparatus main body 28. The toner container 50 is configured to supply toner to the corresponding color developing device 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a mounting portion 34 for mounting a plurality of toner containers 50 is provided inside the apparatus main body 28. Specifically, the mounting portion 34 is provided on the upper portion of the intermediate transfer unit 22. A top cover 33 at the top of the apparatus main body 28 is supported so as to be openable and closable around a support shaft 33A (see FIG. 1) of the apparatus main body 28. When the top cover 33 is rotated upward (in the opening direction), the mounting portion 34 to which the toner container 50 is mounted is exposed. The mounting portion 34 is integrally formed on the upper portion of the intermediate transfer unit 22, and each toner container 50 is mounted so as to be stored in the mounting portion 34. The mounting portion 34 is not limited to being integrally formed on the upper portion of the intermediate transfer unit 22, and may be attached to the apparatus main body 28 as a separate member from the intermediate transfer unit 22.

  Each toner container 50 stores toner of a color corresponding to each color of the image forming unit 21. Specifically, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow toners are individually stored in the respective toner containers 50 (50A to 50D). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, among the four toner containers 50, the rearmost toner container 50A is of a larger capacity type than the other toner containers 50B to 50D. Contains color toner. Further, the toner containers 50B to 50D have the same shape and the same capacity. The toner container 50B contains cyan toner, the toner container 50C contains magenta toner, and the toner container 50D contains yellow toner.

[Configuration of Toner Container 50]
Hereinafter, the configuration of the toner container 50 will be described. Here, the large-capacity type toner container 50A and the other toner containers 50B to 50D have the same configuration except that the size of the toner container is different. Further, the toner containers 50B to 50D have the same configuration except that the arrangement positions are different. Therefore, in the following description, the toner containers 50A to 50D will be described as the toner container 50.

  The toner container 50 stores toner supplied to the developing device 12. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the toner container 50 includes a casing 51, a toner discharge port 52 (see FIG. 4), an opening / closing mechanism 53 (see FIG. 4), an operation unit 54, a cover 72, It has. These are provided on the side surface of the toner container 50. The opening / closing mechanism 53 is an example of an opening / closing member of the present invention. The casing 51 is attached to the attachment unit 34 of the image forming apparatus 10. The toner is accommodated in the housing 51. As shown in FIG. 4, the toner discharge port 52 is formed in the housing 51. The toner discharge port 52 is formed at the right end of the bottom surface of the housing 51. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the operation unit 54 is provided in the housing 51 so that it can be operated by the user.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the apparatus main body 28 includes support plates 42 and 43 to which the housing 51 is attached. The support plates 42 and 43 are formed in a plate shape and extend in the front-rear direction 7. The support plates 42 and 43 are disposed at positions facing each other in the mounting portion 34. As shown in FIG. 2, the support plate 42 is erected on the left end portion of the mounting portion 34. As shown in FIG. 3, the support plate 43 is erected on the right end portion of the mounting portion 34. The support plates 42 and 43 support both ends of the four toner containers 50.

  On the left side 43A (see FIG. 3) on one side (left side) of the support plate 43, a plurality of groove-shaped container guides 45 extending obliquely upward are formed. The container guide 45 is formed in a groove shape with the left side surface 43A of the support plate 43 recessed in the thickness direction. The container guide 45 is formed so that the upper end side of the support plate 43 is widened toward the end. The right end of the housing 51 is attached to the support plate 43 by being guided obliquely downward from the upper end of the support plate 43 by the container guide 45.

  The casing 51 is made of a resin material and is formed in a box shape long in the left-right direction 8 as shown in FIG. In other words, the longitudinal direction of the casing 51 coincides with the left-right direction 8 of the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 51 includes a container main body 55 and a lid portion 56. The container main body 55 is formed in a box shape with a bottom having an open top. The container main body 55 is an example of the container main body of the present invention. The lid part 56 closes the open part of the upper part of the container main body 55. Inside the container main body 55, a stirring member 800 (see FIG. 9) having paddle-shaped blades for stirring toner, and a conveying member 58 (see FIG. 9) having screw-shaped blades for transporting toner to the toner discharge port 52 are provided. ) And are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a cover 72 is provided so as to cover the right side wall 55 </ b> B of the container main body 55. The side wall 55B is provided with a toner filling port 59 for filling the inside of the housing 51 with toner. The toner filling port 59 is closed by a plug member 60.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 and 9, the toner discharge port 52 is formed in the toner container 50. Specifically, the toner discharge port 52 is formed on the right end side of the bottom of the container main body 55. The toner discharge port 52 is formed so as to penetrate the bottom wall of the container main body 55 downward. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, a substantially cylindrical projecting portion 55 </ b> A is formed at the right end portion of the container main body 55 so as to project rightward. The toner discharge port 52 is formed so as to penetrate the peripheral wall of the protrusion 55A downward.

  The opening / closing mechanism 53 opens and closes the toner discharge port 52, and includes a cylinder 61, an opening 62, a seal member 63, and a second connecting portion 79, as shown in FIG. The cylinder 61 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is inserted into the protrusion 55 </ b> A provided at the right end of the container body 55. The right end portion of the cylinder 61 is closed by an end surface portion 611. Further, a second connecting portion 79 described later is integrally provided at the right end portion of the cylinder 61. The opening 62 is formed on the side surface (lower surface) of the cylinder 61. Further, the seal member 63 is provided around the toner discharge port 52 on the inner wall surface of the protrusion 55A. The seal member 63 is for preventing toner scattering.

  A bearing 64 is formed inside the right end portion of the cylinder 61. One end of the conveying member 58 is rotatably supported in the cylinder 61 by the bearing 64. That is, the rotation axis P <b> 1 of the cylinder 61 is on the same axis as the rotation axis of the conveying member 58. The rotation axis P1 is an example of the first rotation shaft of the present invention.

  The cylinder 61 is rotatably attached to the protrusion 55A. When a rotational force is input to the second connecting portion 79, the cylinder 61 is rotated. As the cylinder 61 rotates and the opening 62 of the cylinder 61 overlaps the toner discharge port 52, the toner discharge port 52 is opened as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the position of the cylinder 61 where the toner discharge port 52 is opened (the position shown in FIG. 9) is referred to as an open position. When the cylinder 61 rotates to the open position, the toner in the housing 51 can be smoothly discharged from the toner discharge port 52 to the outside. On the other hand, when the cylinder 61 is rotated to a position where the peripheral wall portion of the cylinder 61 in which the opening 62 is not formed overlaps the toner discharge port 52, the toner discharge port 52 is blocked by the peripheral wall of the cylinder 61. Hereinafter, the position of the cylinder 61 where the toner discharge port 52 is closed is referred to as a closed position. When the cylinder 61 rotates to the closed position, the toner discharge port 52 is completely closed.

  The cylinder 61 can be displaced between the open position and the closed position by rotating the second connecting portion 79. That is, the toner discharge port 52 is opened and closed by rotating the cylinder 61. The second connecting portion 79 is connected to a drive transmission mechanism 76 (see FIGS. 20 and 21) provided in the apparatus main body 28 (specifically, the mounting portion 34) when the toner container 50 is mounted on the mounting portion 34. Is done. Thereby, the second connecting portion 79 can receive the rotational force from the drive transmission mechanism 76. The details of the drive transmission mechanism 76 and the second connecting portion 79 will be described later.

  When the toner container 50 is mounted on the mounting portion 34, the toner discharge port 52 is disposed at a position facing a communication port (not shown) formed in the intermediate transfer unit 22, and is in close contact with the communication port. Toner is supplied to the developing device 12 from the communication port via a conveyance path (not shown). The mounting position of the toner container 50 in the mounting unit 34 is determined so as to have such a positional relationship. The operation unit 54 is used to open and close the toner discharge port 52 in a state where the toner container 50 is mounted on the mounting unit 34. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the operation unit 54 is provided at the right end of the container main body 55. The operation portion 54 includes a shaft portion 66 that is rotatably supported by the container main body 55, and a lever 67 (an example of a lever member) that is fixed to the shaft portion 66 and extends from the shaft portion 66. The lever 67 is made of synthetic resin.

  The shaft portion 66 has a rotation axis P3 (see FIG. 10) that protrudes rightward from the right end portion of the housing 51. The lever 67 is rotatable integrally with the shaft portion 66 around the rotation axis P <b> 3 of the shaft portion 66. In the present embodiment, the operation unit 54 includes a first operation position (the posture shown in FIGS. 7A and 17A) where the lever 67 tilts forward, and a second operation position where the lever 67 tilts backward. (Posture shown in FIGS. 7B and 17C). In the present embodiment, when the lever 67 is operated between the first operation position and the second operation position, the cylinder 61 of the opening / closing mechanism 53 is moved to the closed position corresponding to the first operation position or the It is moved to one of the open positions corresponding to the second operation position. Here, the first operation position is an attitude corresponding to the closed position of the cylinder 61. Specifically, when the cylinder 61 is maintained at the closed position or is displaced to the closed position, the lever 67 is disposed at the first operation position. On the other hand, the second operation position is a posture corresponding to the open position of the cylinder 61. Specifically, when the cylinder 61 is maintained at the open position or is displaced to the open position, the lever 67 is disposed at the second operation position.

  In the present embodiment, as the operation position of the lever 67, in addition to the first operation position and the second operation position, a third operation position (see FIGS. 17D and 18D) is provided. The third operation position is a position rotated by a predetermined angle on the side opposite to the second operation position with respect to the first operation position, and is provided as a dedicated position for shipping the image forming apparatus 1 or the toner container 50. ing. That is, when the image forming apparatus 1 or the toner container 50 is shipped, the operation unit 54 has the lever 67 positioned at the third operation position. Once the user or the like has turned the third operation position to the first operation position or the second operation position, the user cannot return to the third operation position. Even when the lever 67 is located at the third operation position, the cylinder 61 is located at the closed position. Note that a configuration that cannot return to the first operation position when the lever 67 is rotated from the third operation position will be described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a cover 72 is attached to the right side wall 55 </ b> B of the container main body 55. The cover 72 is attached so as to cover the base end portion of the lever 67 and the lock member 100. An arcuate slit 72C is formed in the upper wall 72A of the cover 72, and the upper end of the lever 67 is exposed upward from the slit 72C. An opening 72D is formed in the right side wall 72B of the cover 72, and a first connecting portion 78 described later is exposed to the right from the opening 72D. The right wall 72B is formed with a guide groove 72E that extends vertically and opens downward. And as shown in FIG. 4, the to-be-pressed part 105 of the locking member 100 is exposed from the cover 72 in the guide groove 72E. The second connecting portion 79 of the cylinder 61 is not covered with the cover 72. Here, when the user grasps the side of the toner container 50 and holds the toner container 50, the user's finger exposed from the guide groove 72 </ b> E may hit the pressed portion 105 of the lock member 100. If the user's finger hits the pressed portion 105 and the pressed portion 105 is pushed upward, the toner discharge port 52 may be opened and the toner may leak out.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 46 of the support plate 43 is formed in a narrow plate shape, and the width d of the guide groove 72E (see FIG. 4) is narrow enough to allow the protrusion 46 to be inserted. The width is assumed. Specifically, the width d of the guide groove 72E is set to such a width that a general user's finger does not enter the guide groove 72E or even if the guide groove 72E slightly enters, the finger does not hit the pressed portion 105 of the lock member 100. Is set. The guide groove 72E is an example of the insertion hole of the present invention.

  The cover 72 has a block-shaped positioning protrusion 73 protruding rightward from the right end of the container body 55. The positioning protrusion 73 is formed in a width size that can be fitted into the container guide 45 (see FIG. 3), and is formed in a width size that is slightly smaller than the groove width of the container guide 45. As a result, the positioning protrusion 73 can be attached to the container guide 45. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the positioning projection 73 is fitted into the container guide 45 and is guided obliquely downward by the container guide 45, so that the housing 51 is attached to the support plate 43. It has become.

  A lock member 100 is provided at the right end of the container body 55. The lock member 100 is made of synthetic resin, and is for locking the operation unit 54 and the opening / closing mechanism 53 so as not to malfunction. That is, the lock member 100 brings the operation unit 54 into a locked state so that the operation of the operation unit 54 is restricted. Further, the lock member 100 brings the opening / closing mechanism 53 into a locked state so that the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing mechanism 53 is restricted. This will be specifically described below.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lock member 100 is covered with a cover 72. Above the opening 72D on the inner surface of the cover 72, there is a cylindrical rotation support portion 700 (see FIG. 10) on a rotation axis P2 parallel to the rotation axis P3 (see FIG. 10) of the stirring member 800. Is provided. In FIG. 10, the cover 72 is omitted, but only the rotation support portion 700 provided on the cover 72 is shown in a cross section (hatched portion). The rotation axis P2 is an example of the third rotation axis of the present invention, and the rotation axis P3 is an example of the second rotation axis of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, the lock member 100 includes a fitting portion 101 and an arm portion 102. The fitting portion 101 has a fitting hole 103 having substantially the same diameter as that of the rotation support portion 700. The fitting portion 101 is externally fitted to the rotation support portion 700 in a state in which the predetermined removal is prevented, and is rotatably supported by the rotation support portion 700. As shown in FIG. 10, the lock member 100 is positioned above the opening / closing mechanism 53 in the mounting posture in which the toner container 50 is mounted on the apparatus main body 28. Further, the rotation axis P2 is located above the rotation axis P3. The arm portion 102 extends from the fitting portion 101 in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis P2 of the rotation support portion 700, and a first engagement portion 104 is formed at the tip. The first engaging portion 104 protrudes in a claw shape from the main body portion of the arm portion 102 toward the opening / closing mechanism 53 side at a substantially right angle.

  A first engaged portion 61 </ b> A is provided on an end surface portion 611 of the cylinder 61 of the opening / closing mechanism 53. Specifically, the first engaged portion 61A protrudes in a claw shape on a plane formed by the end surface portion 611 from a predetermined position of the outer peripheral portion of the end surface portion 611. The first engaged portion 61A is located at the upper part when the lever 67 is located at the first operation position. At this time, the first engaged portion 61 </ b> A protrudes obliquely upward from the main body portion of the end surface portion 611, and the first engaged portion 61 </ b> A is first at a position closer to the rotation axis P <b> 2 of the lock member 100 than the first engagement portion 104 of the lock member 100. Engage with the engaging portion 104. Thereby, the rotation of the cylinder 61 is restricted, and the opening / closing mechanism 53 is locked in the closed position.

  The lock member 100 has a pressed portion 105. The pressed portion 105 is pressed upward by the protrusion 46 of the support plate 43 in the process of attaching the toner container 50 to the apparatus main body 28. The lock member 100 rotates about the rotation axis P <b> 2 while being pivotally supported by the rotation support portion 700, using the upward force received from the protrusion 46 in the pressed portion 105 as a rotational force. At this time, the first engaging portion 104 is separated from the first engaged portion 61A, and the lock of the opening / closing mechanism 53 is released (see FIGS. 17A and 17B).

  As shown in FIG. 11A, the engaged surface H1 that engages with the first engaging portion 104 of the first engaged portion 61A, and the first engaged portion of the first engaging portion 104. The engaging surface H2 that engages with the portion 61A is a flat surface. Here, when the first engaged portion 61A and the first engaging portion 104 engage with each other, the engaged surface H1 forms a predetermined angle α with respect to the engaging surface H2, and the first A portion on the distal end side of the first engaged portion 61 </ b> A engages with the engaging surface H <b> 2 of the first engaging portion 104.

  As a result, when the first engaged portion 61A and the first engaging portion 104 are engaged with each other and when an upward force is received from the protrusion 46, the first engaging portion 104 is The lock member 100 rotates away from the first engaged portion 61A without being caught by the first engaged portion 61A (see FIG. 11B).

  On the other hand, when the locking member 100 is rotated in the opposite direction by the operation of the lever 67 described later in the engaged state, the first engaged portion 61A and the first engaging portion 104 are slightly deformed. The first engaging portion 104 bites into the recess N1 formed by the first engaged portion 61A (see FIG. 11C). At this time, the first engaged portion 61A and the first engaging portion 104 are more firmly engaged.

  As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the lever 67 has a second engaged portion 67A. The second engaged portion 67A is provided at the base end side of the lever 67, that is, at a predetermined position near the rotation axis P3 of the lever 67. As shown in FIG. 12A, the lock member 100 has a second engagement portion 106. The second engaging portion 106 is formed at a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 102 in a portion opposite to the pressed portion 105. The second engaged portion 67A and the second engaging portion 106 can be engaged with each other (see FIG. 18A). In the second engaged portion 67A and the second engaging portion 106, the first engaged portion 61A and the first engaging portion 104 engage with each other to lock the opening / closing mechanism 53 in the closed position. Sometimes they engage each other. Thereby, the movement of the lever 67 located at the first operation position to the second operation position is restricted. The position of the lock member 100 at this time is referred to as a lock position.

  Further, when the lock member 100 is rotated by the upward force received from the protruding portion 46 in the pressed portion 105, the second engaging portion 106 is separated from the second engaged portion 67A. Thereby, the movement restriction (lock) of the lever 67 to the second operation position is released. The position where the movement restriction of the lever 67 to the second operation position is released is referred to as a lock release position. The lock release position does not mean a specific position when the lock member 100 is rotated by a specific angle. The lock member 100 moves away from the lock position and moves the lever 67 to the second operation position. It has a certain range in which the movement restriction is released.

  Thus, when the lock member 100 is located at the lock position, the lock member 100 engages with the opening / closing mechanism 53 and the lever 67, locks the opening / closing mechanism 53 in the closed position, and locks the lever 67 in the first operation position. To do. On the other hand, when the lock member 100 is located at the unlock position, the lock member 100 is separated from the open / close mechanism 53 and the lever 67, and the open / close mechanism 53 is rotated to the open position and the lever 67 is rotated to the second operation position. Movement is allowed.

  As described above, both the first engagement portion 104 and the second engagement portion 106 are formed on the arm portion 102 of the lock member 100. The second engaging portion 106 and the second engaged portion 67A are engaged at a position closer to the rotation support portion 700 than the engaging position between the first engaging portion 104 and the first engaged portion 61A. To do. As a result, when the lever 67 is rotated while the toner container 50 is not attached to the attachment portion 34, the engagement portion between the second engagement portion 106 and the second engagement portion 67A is damaged. Can be prevented.

  That is, when an operating force is applied to the lever 67 while the second engaged portion 67A and the second engaging portion 106 are engaged, the second engaged portion 67A changes to the second engaging portion 106. Power is added. Here, the force moment can be reduced as close as possible to the rotation axis P2 of the lock member 100. As a result, the load applied to the second engaging portion 106 can be reduced, and an operating force is applied to the lever 67 while the second engaged portion 67A and the second engaging portion 106 are engaged. Even in such a case, it is possible to prevent the lock member 100 from being damaged.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the lever 67 has a lever side extending portion 671. The lever side extending portion 671 includes a sliding contact portion 672 and an engaging portion 673. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the sliding contact portion 672 has a curved shape that extends in the direction of rotation of the lever 67 from the first operation position to the second operation position. The engaging portion 673 is provided on the upper surface of the sliding contact portion 672 and protrudes upward. The upper end of the engaging portion 673 is in sliding contact with the upper inner wall surface 721 (see FIG. 18) of the cover 72 when the lever 67 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the lock member 100 has a lock-side extending portion 110. The lock-side extension part 110 includes an elastic deformation part 111 and a sliding contact part 112. The elastic deformation portion 111 is a portion extending from the main body portion of the lock member 100 such that a cross section by a plane passing through the rotation axis P2 has a substantially L shape. The sliding contact portion 112 is provided at the tip which is the free end of the elastic deformation portion 111. The elastic deformation portion 111 and the sliding contact portion 112 have a flat plate shape and are orthogonal to each other. The sliding contact portion 112 has a shape having tapered portions that are inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the lever side extending portion 671 on both sides in the direction along the locus. In this embodiment, the sliding contact portion 112 has a trapezoidal shape in which the lower base is longer than the upper base, and the side between the top portion 1121 corresponding to the upper base and the upper and lower bases (four sides in the trapezoid). Tapered portions 1122 and 1123 corresponding to two sides other than two sides parallel to each other) are provided. Note that the shape of the sliding contact portion 112 is not limited to a trapezoidal shape, and may be a triangular shape.

  The sliding contact portion 112 does not contact other members when the lock member 100 is located at the lock position and the lever 67 is located at the first operation position or the second operation position. When the locking member 100 is pushed upward from the locking position by the protrusion 46, the sliding contact portion 112 enters the movement locus of the sliding contact portion 672 of the lever side extending portion 671 when the lever 67 rotates. To do. Therefore, when the lever 67 unlocked by the lock member 100 is operated, the sliding contact portion 672 comes into contact with the sliding contact portion 112.

  Here, the distance from the rotation axis P3 of the lever 67 to the sliding contact surface 672A is shorter than the distance from the rotation axis P3 to the top 1121 of the sliding contact portion 112. Therefore, when the lever 67 is rotated, the sliding contact portion 672 comes into contact with the tapered portions 1122 and 1123 of the sliding contact portion 112 as shown in FIG. Further, when a further turning operation of the lever 67 is performed, as shown in FIGS. 16B and 16C, the sliding contact portion 112 and the sliding contact portion 112 are guided by the guide function by the tapered portions 1122 and 1123 of the sliding contact portion 112. The sliding contact portion 672 is smoothly guided while the lock-side extending portion 110 is elastically deformed so that the sliding contact portion 112 gradually approaches the rotation axis P2 without being caught by the sliding contact portion 672. Then, as shown in FIG. 16C, the top portion 1121 of the sliding contact portion 112 eventually comes into contact with the sliding contact surface 672A of the sliding contact portion 672.

  When the lever 67 is rotated from the first operation position (position shown in FIG. 17A) to the second operation position (position shown in FIG. 17C), the top of the sliding contact portion 112 is obtained. 1121 is in sliding contact with the sliding contact surface 672A of the sliding contact portion 672. Then, when the lever 67 reaches the first operation position from the second operation position or reaches the second operation position from the first operation position, as shown in FIG. The portion 112 and the sliding contact portion 672 are separated from each other. That is, the lever-side extending portion 671 is in sliding contact with the tapered portions 1122 and 1123 until the lever-side extending portion 671 comes into contact with the radial end portion of the sliding contact portion 112.

  The slidable contact portion 112 that is elastically deformed from when the top portion 1121 of the slidable contact portion 112 starts to slidably contact the slidable contact surface 672A of the slidable contact portion 672 until the top portion 1121 of the slidable contact portion 112 moves away from the slidable contact surface 672A. The lever 67 is biased to be pushed back to the first operation position via the sliding surface 672A. Thereby, resistance is given to the turning operation of the lever 67 by the user. On the other hand, when the lever 67 reaches the second operation position from the first operation position, or when the lever 67 reaches the first operation position from the second operation position, the top portion 1121 of the sliding contact portion 112 is covered by the sliding contact portion 672. The resistance is lost by moving away from the sliding surface 672A. In this way, the operating force of the lever 67 is greatly different between when the lever 67 reaches the first operating position or the second operating position. Thereby, the user can sense that the lever 67 has reached the first operation position or the second operation position, and can give the user a good feeling of operation of the lever 67.

  As shown in FIG. 18C, when the lever 67 reaches the second operation position from the first operation position, the engaging portion 673 is inserted into a recess 72C provided at a predetermined position of the cover 72. Fit. The recess 72C has a predetermined depth necessary for rotating the lever 67 with a slightly strong turning force when the lever 67 is rotated from the second operation position to the first operation position. . Therefore, the lever 67 is held at the second operation position within a range where the rotational power smaller than the rotational power acts on the lever 67. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18C, since the recess 72C has a certain length in the rotation direction of the lever, the lever 67 can be rotated within a minute angle range. However, even if the lever 67 is rotated within this small angle range, the opening / closing mechanism 53 is held in the open position.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 18, the cover 72 has an engaged portion 7211. The engaged portion 7211 is a convex portion provided on the upper inner wall surface 721 of the cover 72. As shown in FIGS. 14 (A) and 14 (B), the engaged portion 7211 is formed by the cover 72 when the lever 67 is rotated from the third operation position toward the second operation position. The upper end of the engaging portion 673 that is in sliding contact with the upper inner wall surface 721 has an inclined surface 7212 that can ride over the engaged portion 7211. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 14C and 14D, the engaged portion 7211 has an engaging portion 673 when the lever 67 is rotated from the second operation position to the first operation position. Has a vertical wall surface 7213 on which the engaged portion 7211 cannot ride. The engaging portion 673 is fitted into a space K1 (see FIG. 14C) formed by the upper inner wall surface 721 and the vertical wall surface 7213 of the engaged portion 7211, and further rotation of the lever 67 is restricted. Is done.

  With such a configuration, once the lever 67 is rotated from the third operation position to the first operation position or the second operation position by the user or the like, it cannot be returned to the third operation position. The first operation position is a position where the protrusion 722 and the engaging portion 673 in the lever side extending portion 671 are engaged.

  The thickness X (see FIG. 12) of the elastic deformation portion 111 in the lock-side extension portion 110 is relatively thin, and as described above, the sliding contact portion is caused by the displacement of the lever-side extension portion 671 as the lever 67 rotates. It is elastically deformable in the radial direction (arrow W1 in FIG. 15) of the arc-shaped locus drawn by 672. On the other hand, the width Y (see FIG. 12) of the elastically deformable portion 111 is relatively wide and at least longer than the length of the thickness X. Therefore, the elastic deformation portion 6711 has higher rigidity in the direction along the locus (arrow W2) than in the radial direction (arrow W1).

  In the present embodiment, the lock-side extending portion 110 has high rigidity in the direction of the locus (arrow W2), so that the following effects can be obtained. That is, as shown in FIG. 15B, when the lever 67 is rotated from the first operation position to the second operation position, the sliding contact portion 672 of the lever side extending portion 671 is in the direction of the arrow V1. When dragged, the drag force F <b> 1 acts on the elastic deformation portion 111 from the sliding contact portion 672. However, since the lock-side extension portion 110 has high rigidity in the direction of the locus (arrow W2), the lock-side extension portion 110 is not bent with respect to the main body portion of the lock member 100 due to the drag force F1. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 15C, when the lever 67 is rotated from the second operation position to the first operation position, the sliding contact portion 672 of the lever side extending portion 671 is indicated by the arrow V2. If the drag force F2 is applied to the elastically deformable portion 111 from the sliding contact portion 672 of the lever side extending portion 671 when moved in the direction, the lock side extending portion 110 of the lock member 100 is caused by the drag force F2. Do not bend against the body part.

  FIG. 19 shows the appearance of the support plate 43. 20 and 21 show the drive transmission mechanism 76 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the drive transmission mechanism 76. FIG. 19 is a view of the support plate 43 as viewed from the left side surface 43A. FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of the periphery of one container guide 45 in FIG. FIG. 21 is a view of the support plate 43 as seen from the right side surface 43B. FIG. 22A shows a state when the lever 67 is in the first operation position. FIG. 22B shows a state where the lever 67 is at an intermediate position between the first operation position and the second operation position. FIG. 22C shows a state when the lever 67 is in the second operation position.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the drive transmission mechanism 76 is provided on the right side surface 43 </ b> B of the support plate 43. A lower portion of the container guide 45 in the support plate 43 is divided into a fork of a first groove 45A and a second groove 45B. Between the first groove portion 45A and the second groove portion 45B, a protrusion 46 extending along the first groove portion 45A and the second groove portion 45B is formed.

  When the cover 72 is guided in the obliquely downward mounting direction by the container guide 45, the protrusion 46 is inserted into the guide groove 72E of the cover 72. Thereafter, the upper end of the ridge 46 as the protrusion abuts against the pressed portion 105 of the lock member 100 to push up the lock member 100. In this way, when the toner container 50 is mounted on the support plate 43, the lock member 100 abuts on the protrusion 46 and moves in the unlocking direction, so that the operation unit 54 and the opening / closing mechanism by the lock member 100 are operated. 53 is unlocked.

  As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the apparatus main body 28 is provided with a drive transmission mechanism 76. The drive transmission mechanism 76 is provided on the support plate 43 constituting the apparatus main body 28. In the present embodiment, four drive transmission mechanisms 76 are provided corresponding to the four toner containers 50. The drive transmission mechanisms 76 are provided on the right side surface 43 </ b> B of the support plate 43 side by side in the front-rear direction 7.

  The drive transmission mechanism 76 is configured to transmit the operation driving force (driving force) input by the operation of the lever 67 of the operation unit 54 to the opening / closing mechanism 53 in a state where the toner container 50 is mounted on the support plate 43. ing.

  The drive transmission mechanism 76 includes a first rotation unit 74 (input transmission unit), an intermediate rotation unit 81 (intermediate transmission unit), and a second rotation unit 75 (output transmission unit). The first rotation unit 74 is a part that receives an operation driving force input by the operation unit 54 when the lever 67 of the operation unit 54 is operated. The first rotation unit 74 that has received the operation driving force transmits the operation driving force to the intermediate rotation unit 81. The intermediate rotation unit 81 is a part that receives the operation driving force input by operating the lever 67 of the operation unit 54 from the first rotation unit 74, and transmits the received operation driving force to the second rotation unit 75. The second rotating portion 75 is a portion that receives the operation driving force transmitted from the intermediate rotating portion 81 and outputs (transmits) the operation driving force to the outside (opening / closing mechanism 53). In other words, the second rotating unit 75 receives the operation driving force transmitted from the first rotating unit 74 via the intermediate rotating unit 81 and outputs (transmits) the operation driving force to the outside (opening / closing mechanism 53). To do. The first rotating unit 74 is rotatable by receiving the operation driving force. The intermediate rotation unit 81 can rotate in conjunction with the first rotation unit 74. The second rotating unit 75 can rotate in conjunction with the first rotating unit 74 and the intermediate rotating unit 81.

  The first rotating portion 74 is disposed at the lower end of the first groove portion 45 </ b> A of the container guide 45 and is rotatably supported by the support plate 43. On the other hand, the 2nd rotation part 75 is arrange | positioned at the lower end of the 2nd groove part 45B, and is supported by the support plate 43 rotatably. The first rotating unit 74 and the second rotating unit 75 are separated from each other and are not configured to transmit driving directly. An intermediate rotation unit 81 is provided between the first rotation unit 74 and the second rotation unit 75, and the intermediate rotation unit 81 is rotatably supported by the support plate 43. The intermediate rotation unit 81 is coupled to the first rotation unit 74 and the second rotation unit 75 so as to be able to transmit driving.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the 1st rotation part 74 is a rotary body which has 1st gear part 74A. Moreover, the 2nd rotation part 75 is a rotary body which has 2nd gear part 75A (gear part). The intermediate rotation part 81 is a rotating body having an intermediate gear part 81A (gear part) that meshes with each of the first gear part 74A and the second gear part 75A. The first gear portion 74 </ b> A is integrally formed with the first rotating portion 74. The intermediate gear portion 81A is integrally formed with the intermediate rotation portion 81. The second gear portion 75A is integrally formed with the second rotating portion 75. Therefore, when the first rotating portion 74 rotates in a state where the first gear portion 74A and the intermediate gear portion 81A are engaged and the intermediate gear portion 81A and the second gear portion 75A are engaged, the intermediate rotating portion 81 is The second rotating unit 75 rotates in the same direction as the rotating direction of the first rotating unit 74.

  In the present embodiment, the first gear portion 74A and the second gear portion 75A are set such that the rotation angle of the first rotation portion 74 and the rotation angle of the second rotation portion 75 are the same. Specifically, the number of teeth and the pitch of each of the first gear portion 74A and the second gear portion 75A are formed to be the same. For this reason, for example, when the 1st rotation part 74 rotates 45 degrees with the lever 67, the 2nd rotation part 75 also rotates 45 degrees.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the drive transmission mechanism 76 includes a spring 77 (biasing member). The spring 77 moves the opening / closing mechanism 53 to the closed position via the second rotating portion 75 when the lever 67 is positioned at the first operation position with the toner container 50 mounted on the mounting portion 34. Energize towards. In addition, the spring 77 moves the opening / closing mechanism 53 through the second rotating portion 75 when the lever 67 is located at the second operation position in a state where the toner container 50 is mounted on the mounting portion 34. Energize towards the open position.

  The spring 77 is interposed between the intermediate rotating part 81 and the second rotating part 75. The spring 77 is, for example, a coil spring. In the present embodiment, the spring 77 is attached so as to expand and contract by rotating the intermediate rotating portion 81 and the first rotating portion 74 according to the operation of the lever 67. In detail, the intermediate | middle rotation part 81 has the 1st support piece 81B which protrudes to a radial direction outer side from the outer peripheral surface. The first support piece 81 </ b> B is a portion to which an end portion on one side of the spring 77 is fixed. That is, the first support piece 81 </ b> B supports one end of the spring 77. Since the first support piece 81B also rotates with the rotation of the intermediate rotation part 81, the support position of the spring 77 by the first support piece 81B changes when the intermediate rotation part 81 rotates. The second rotating portion 75 has a second support piece 75C that protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface thereof. The second support piece 75 </ b> C is a portion to which the other end of the spring 77 is fixed. That is, the second support piece 75 </ b> C supports the other end of the spring 77. Since the second support piece 75C also rotates with the rotation of the intermediate rotation part 81, the support position of the spring 77 by the second support piece 75C changes when the intermediate rotation part 81 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 21, a spring 77 is attached between the first support piece 81B and the second support piece 75C. The spring 77 is a so-called tension spring that constantly generates a spring force in the contracting direction. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22B, the first support piece 81B and the second support piece 75C are arranged on a line segment connecting the center of the intermediate rotation part 81 and the center of the second rotation part 75. Then, the spring force of the spring 77 is balanced, and the intermediate rotating part 81 and the second rotating part 75 are kept stationary. In this state, the spring 77 is extended to the maximum. Thus, the positions of the lever 67 and the cylinder 61 when the spring 77 is in a balanced state are determined in advance. Specifically, the lever 67 is at an intermediate position between the first operation position and the second operation position. Yes, the cylinder 61 is an intermediate position between the open position and the closed position. Here, the intermediate position of the lever 67 is an example of a predetermined position excluding the first operation position and the second operation position within the operation range of the lever 67.

  When the lever 67 is operated from the intermediate position to the first operation position side from the state shown in FIG. 22B, the balance of the spring 77 is released. Specifically, by operating the lever 67, the first rotating unit 74 rotates the intermediate rotating unit 81 in the clockwise direction, and the intermediate rotating unit 81 further rotates the second rotating unit 75 in the counterclockwise direction. In this case, as shown in FIG. 22A, the spring 77 further rotates the intermediate rotating portion 81 in the clockwise direction by the force in the contraction direction, and further rotates the second rotating portion 75 in the counterclockwise direction. . At this time, the intermediate rotating portion 81 and the second rotating portion 75 are rotated by the force of only the spring 77 to the lever 67 operated from the intermediate position even if no operation driving force is input thereafter. Thereby, the rotation of the second rotating portion 75 is transmitted to the cylinder 61, and the cylinder 61 is reliably displaced to the open position by the urging force of the spring 77.

  On the other hand, when the lever 67 is operated from the intermediate position to the second operation position side from the state shown in FIG. 22B, the balance of the spring 77 is released. Specifically, by operating the lever 67, the first rotation unit 74 rotates the intermediate rotation unit 81 in the counterclockwise rotation direction, and the intermediate rotation unit 81 further rotates the second rotation unit 75 in the clockwise direction. In this case, as shown in FIG. 22B, the spring 77 further rotates the intermediate rotating portion 81 in the counterclockwise direction by the force in the contraction direction, and further rotates the second rotating portion 75 in the clockwise direction. . At this time, the intermediate rotating portion 81 and the second rotating portion 75 are rotated by the force of only the spring 77 to the lever 67 operated from the intermediate position even if no operation driving force is input thereafter. Thereby, the rotation of the second rotating portion 75 is transmitted to the cylinder 61, and the cylinder 61 is reliably displaced to the closed position by the urging force of the spring 77.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the operation unit 54 includes a first connecting portion 78. The first connecting portion 78 rotates when the lever 67 is operated. The first connecting portion 78 is formed integrally with the right end of the shaft portion 66. The first connecting portion 78 is formed in a plate shape protruding rightward from the right end of the shaft portion 66. The first connecting portion 78 extends in the mounting direction (that is, obliquely downward) in which the cover 72 is guided by the container guide 45 when the housing 51 is mounted on the support plate 43. The first connecting portion 78 is connected to the first rotating portion 74 of the drive transmission mechanism 76 in a state where the toner container 50 is mounted on the container guide 45 of the support plate 43. That is, the first connecting portion 78 is connected to the first rotating portion 74 when the toner container 50 is mounted. Thereby, the operation driving force input when operating the operation unit 54 can be transmitted to the first rotation unit 74.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the first rotation portion 74 of the drive transmission mechanism 76 is formed with a first connection groove 74 </ b> B to which the first connection portion 78 of the toner container 50 is connected. At least a part of the first connecting groove 74B extends linearly. On the other hand, the first connecting portion 78 has a shape that fits into the first connecting groove 74B. That is, the groove width of the first connection groove 74 </ b> B is substantially the same as the thickness of the first connection portion 78. The first connecting portion 78 is inserted into the first connecting groove 74 </ b> B when the casing 51 is attached to the apparatus main body 28, and is connected to the first rotating portion 74 so as to be integrally rotatable.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the opening / closing mechanism 53 of the toner container 50 includes a second connecting portion 79 that rotates integrally with the cylinder 61. The second connecting portion 79 is formed integrally with the right end of the cylinder 61. The second connecting portion 79 protrudes rightward from the right end of the cylinder 61. The second connecting portion 79 has a bowl-shaped cross section orthogonal to the axial direction of the cylinder 61. The second connecting portion 79 is a portion that receives the operation driving force from the second rotating portion 75 of the drive transmission mechanism 76. The second connecting portion 79 is connected to the second rotating portion 75 of the drive transmission mechanism 76 in a state where the toner container 50 is mounted on the container guide 45 of the support plate 43. In other words, the second connecting portion 79 is connected to the second rotating portion 75 when the toner container 50 is mounted. Thereby, the operation driving force can be transmitted to the second connecting portion 79 via the first rotating portion 74, the intermediate rotating portion 81, and the second rotating portion 75.

  The second connecting portion 79 extends in the mounting direction (that is, obliquely downward) in which the cover 72 is guided by the container guide 45 when the housing 51 is mounted on the support plate 43. The thickness of the second connecting portion 79 is larger than the thickness of the first connecting portion 78.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the second rotation portion 75 of the drive transmission mechanism 76 is formed with a second connection groove 75 </ b> B to which the second connection portion 79 of the toner container 50 is connected. At least a part of the second connection groove 75B extends linearly. On the other hand, the second connecting portion 79 (see FIGS. 4 to 6) has a shape that fits into the second connecting groove 75B. That is, the second connecting groove 75B has a groove width that is substantially the same as the thickness of the second connecting portion 79. Therefore, the groove width of the second connection groove 75B is different from the groove width of the first connection groove 74B. The second connecting portion 79 is inserted into the second connecting groove 75 </ b> B when the housing 51 is mounted on the support plate 43, and is connected to the second rotating portion 75 so as to be integrally rotatable. The opening / closing mechanism 53 is configured to open and close the toner discharge port 52 by rotating the cylinder 61 when the second connecting portion 79 rotates integrally with the second rotating portion 75.

  Next, the attaching / detaching operation of the toner container 50 to / from the apparatus main body 28 will be described.

  Before the toner container 50 is attached to the apparatus main body 28, the toner discharge port 52 is closed by the cylinder 61, and the operation unit 54 and the opening / closing mechanism 53 are locked by the lock member 100. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8A, the first connecting portion 78 and the second connecting portion 79 extend in the mounting direction in which the cover member 72 is guided by the container guide 45 (that is, obliquely downward). Yes. The lever 67 is located at the first operation position, and the cylinder 61 is located at the closed position.

  Further, before the toner container 50 is attached to the apparatus main body 28, the first connection groove 74B of the first rotation unit 74 and the second connection groove 75B of the second rotation unit 75 in the drive transmission mechanism 76 are illustrated in FIG. As shown in A), the container guide 45 extends in the extending direction (that is, the mounting direction in which the cover member 72 is guided).

  When the toner container 50 is attached to the support plate 43, the cover member 72 is inserted into the container guide 45 of the support plate 43. At that time, the cover member 72 is guided obliquely downward by the container guide 45. The first connecting portion 78 of the toner container 50 is guided by the first groove 45A, and the second connecting portion 79 is guided by the second groove 45B. The first connecting part 78 is connected to the first connecting groove 74B of the first rotating part 74, and the second connecting part 79 is connected to the second connecting groove 75B of the second rotating part 75.

  Further, when the cover member 72 is guided by the container guide 45, the upper end of the protrusion 46 comes into contact with the pressed portion 105 of the lock member 100 and pushes up the lock member 100. Accordingly, the opening / closing mechanism 53 and the lever 67 are separated from each other, the opening / closing mechanism 53 is allowed to rotate to the open position, and the lever 67 is allowed to rotate to the second operation position, and the first connecting portion 78 is moved to the first position. With the second connecting portion 79 connected to the rotating portion 74 and the second connecting portion 79 connected to the second rotating portion 75, the operation portion 54 and the opening / closing mechanism 53 of the toner container 50 are unlocked.

  Next, the toner discharge port 52 is opened by rotating the lever 67 of the operation unit 54. Specifically, the lever 67 is directed from the third operation position (see FIGS. 17D and 18D) to the second operation position (see FIGS. 17C and 18C). Rotate.

  When the lever 67 of the operation unit 54 is rotated while the toner container 50 is mounted on the support plate 43, the operation driving force is input to the first connection unit 78 via the shaft portion 66 of the operation unit 54. Thereby, the shaft part 66 and the first connecting part 78 rotate in the clockwise direction integrally with the lever 67 (see FIGS. 8B and 17B). That is, the first connecting portion 78 rotates by the same angle as the rotation angle of the lever 67.

  At this time, until the top 1121 of the slidable contact portion 112 moves away from the slidable contact surface 672A after the top portion 1121 of the slidable contact portion 112 starts to slidably contact the slidable contact surface 672A of the slidable contact portion 672, the slidable contact portion 112 remains. The lever 67 is biased to be pushed back to the first operation position via the sliding surface 672A. Thereby, resistance is given to the turning operation of the lever 67 by the user. As a result, the user can sense that the lever 67 has reached the second operation position, and can give the user a good feeling of operation of the lever 67.

  As shown in FIG. 18C, when the lever 67 reaches the second operation position from the first operation position, the engaging portion 673 is inserted into a recess 72C provided at a predetermined position of the cover 72. Engage. Thereby, the lever 67 is held at the second operation position.

  Since the first connecting portion 78 is connected to the first rotating portion 74 of the drive transmission mechanism 76, the first connecting portion 78 rotates integrally with the first rotating portion 74. On the apparatus main body 28 side, as shown in FIG. 19, the first gear portion 74A of the first rotating portion 74 is engaged with the intermediate gear portion 81A of the intermediate rotating portion, and the intermediate gear portion 81A is the second rotating portion 75 of the second rotating portion 75. Since the second rotating portion 75 is engaged with the two gear portions 74 </ b> A, the operation driving force is transmitted from the first rotating portion 74 through the intermediate rotating portion, so that the rotation direction is the same as the rotating direction of the first rotating portion 74. Rotate to.

  Since the second rotating portion 75 is connected to the second connecting portion 79 of the toner container 50, the second connecting portion 79 rotates integrally with the second rotating portion 75. Then, when the second connecting portion 79 rotates, the cylinder 61 rotates together with the second connecting portion 79 to the open position side.

  When closing the toner discharge port 52, the lever 67 of the operation unit 54 is moved from the second operation position (see FIGS. 8B and 17C) to the first operation position (FIGS. 8A and 17). (See (A)). Along with this rotation, the shaft portion 66 and the first connecting portion 78 rotate together with the lever 67 in the counterclockwise direction (see FIG. 8A). That is, the first connecting portion 78 rotates by the same angle as the rotation angle of the lever 67.

  On the apparatus main body 28 side, as shown in FIG. 19, the second rotation unit 75 receives the operation driving force from the first rotation unit 74 via the intermediate rotation unit, and the rotation direction of the first rotation unit 74. Rotate in the same direction. Since the second rotating portion 75 is connected to the second connecting portion 79 of the toner container 50, the second connecting portion 79 rotates integrally with the second rotating portion 75. Then, when the second connecting portion 79 rotates, the cylinder 61 rotates together with the second connecting portion 79 to the closed position side.

  At this time, until the top 1121 of the slidable contact portion 112 moves away from the slidable contact surface 672A after the top portion 1121 of the slidable contact portion 112 starts to slidably contact the slidable contact surface 672A of the slidable contact portion 672, the slidable contact portion 112 remains. The lever 67 is urged to be pushed back to the second operation position via the sliding surface 672A. Thereby, resistance is given to the rotation operation of the lever 67 by the user, and the user can sense that the lever 67 has reached the first operation position, and the user can feel a good operation feeling of the lever 67. Can be given to.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 20A, the engaging portion 673 is caught by the engaged portion 7211 provided at a predetermined position of the cover 72, and further rotation of the lever 67 is restricted. . As a result, the movement of the lever 67 is restricted at the first operation position.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not restricted to the thing of the content mentioned above, A various modification is applicable.

  The structure for locking the lever 67 and the opening / closing mechanism 53 and the drive transmission mechanism 76 are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following modifications may be employed.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the lower portion of the lock member 100 includes a protrusion 66 </ b> A integrally formed with the shaft portion 66 and a cylinder when the operation portion 54 and the opening / closing mechanism 53 are locked. It is clamped by a protrusion 61 </ b> A formed integrally with 61. Thereby, the lock member 100 does not rotate the shaft portion 66 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 24, and does not rotate the cylinder 61 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 14. That is, the lock member 100 restricts the shaft 66 from rotating in the clockwise direction, and restricts the cylinder 61 from rotating in the counterclockwise direction. Note that the lock member 100 is configured to release the locked state of the operation unit 54 and the opening / closing mechanism 53 by being slid upward in FIG.

  In the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus 10 including the four toner containers 50 is illustrated. However, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus including the one toner container 50.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the lever 67 can be arranged at the third operation position is illustrated, but the third operation position is not essential as the operation position of the lever 67.

10: image forming apparatus 34: mounting unit 50: toner container 52: toner discharge port 53: opening / closing mechanism 54: operation unit 67: lever 76: drive transmission mechanism 100: lock member 72: cover 101: fitting unit 102: arm unit 104: first engaging portion 61A: first engaged portion 105: pressed portion 67A :: second engaged portion 106 second: engaging portion 671: lever side extending portion 672: slidable contacting portion 673 : Engaging portion 110: lock side extending portion 111: elastic deformation portion 112: sliding contact portion 1122, 1123: taper portion 1121: top portion 672 A: sliding contact surface 7211: engaged portion 7212: inclined surface 7213: vertical wall surface

  The present invention relates to a toner container capable of opening and closing a toner discharge port for discharging toner from a container main body to an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus to which the toner container is attached.

  A developing device is mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer that forms an image on printing paper by an electrophotographic method. By performing development by the developing device, the toner inside the developing device is reduced. Therefore, the image forming apparatus is configured to be detachable from a toner container in which toner is accommodated, and supplies the toner from the toner container to the developing device while the toner container is mounted.

  The toner container includes a stirring paddle for stirring the toner, a toner discharge port for discharging the toner to the outside, a screw for conveying the toner to the toner discharge port, and a shutter member for opening and closing the toner discharge port. Is provided. Conventionally, when an operation lever attached to the toner container or the apparatus main body is operated, the shutter member is displaced between the open position and the closed position, thereby opening and closing the toner discharge port (see Patent Document 1). .

JP 2006-309147 A

  By the way, in this type of image forming apparatus, there is a case where a mechanism is provided for giving the user a good feeling of operation of the operation lever. In other words, when the operation lever is rotated to open and close the shutter member, a resistance force is applied to the operation lever to cause the user to feel a load (resistance feeling).

  However, the strength of the member that gives the resistance force to the operation lever is not sufficient, and the operation force of the operation lever is deformed by the reaction force from the operation lever or the load to be felt by the user is not sufficient, or the durability In some cases, it was damaged due to lack.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a toner container and an image forming apparatus that have sufficient durability and can give a good operation feeling of an operation lever to a user.

  A toner container according to one aspect of the present invention includes a container main body, a toner discharge port, an opening / closing member, a lever member, a lock member, a lever side extending portion, and a lock side extending portion. The container body is detachable from the apparatus body of the image forming apparatus, and contains toner. The toner discharge port is formed in the container body. The opening / closing member can open and close the toner discharge port by a rotation operation around a predetermined first rotation axis. The lever member is pivotally supported by a second rotation shaft parallel to the first rotation shaft, and is operated between a first operation position and a second operation position. The lock member is pivotally supported by a third rotation shaft that is parallel to the first rotation shaft, a lock position that locks the movement of the opening and closing member and the lever member, and a lock that releases the lock. It can move between release positions. The lever side extending portion is provided on the lever member and extends in a rotation direction of the lever member. The lock-side extension portion is provided on the lock member, and compared with a radial direction of an arc-shaped locus drawn by the lever-side extension portion due to displacement of the lever-side extension portion as the lever member rotates. The rigidity in the direction along the trajectory is high, and the radial direction receives the force from the lever side extending portion as the lever member is rotated in a state where the lock member is located at the unlock position. It is slidably contacted with the lever-side extending portion while being deformed.

  An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes an apparatus main body and the toner container that is detachable from the apparatus main body, and the apparatus main body includes the toner container when the toner container is attached to the apparatus main body. A drive transmission mechanism configured to transmit the driving force input by operating the lever member to the opening and closing member;

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a toner container and an image forming apparatus that have sufficient durability and can give a good operation feeling of an operation lever to a user.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the toner container is mounted on the intermediate transfer unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the toner container and its mounting portion. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of the right side portion of the toner container. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the configuration of the right side portion of the toner container. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the configuration of the right side portion of the toner container as viewed from a direction different from FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the right side portion of the toner container in which the lever of the operation unit is rotated. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the positions of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion according to the operation position of the lever of the operation portion. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional configuration of the right side portion of the toner container. FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration of the right side portion of the toner container in a state where the cover is not attached. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a lock structure of the lock member and the opening / closing mechanism. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the lock member alone. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a single lever. FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing an engagement structure between a cover and a lever. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the lock-side extending portion. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a contact state between the sliding contact portion and the sliding contact portion according to the rotation state of the lever. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the pivot position of the lever and the position of the lock member and the like with the cover removed. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a cut surface obtained by cutting the toner container along a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis P3 and passing through the sliding contact portion and the engagement portion. FIG. 19 is a diagram partially showing the configuration of the support plate of the mounting portion. FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of the drive transmission mechanism. FIG. 21 is an enlarged perspective view showing the drive transmission mechanism. FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the drive transmission mechanism. Figure 23 is a side view showing a variation of the side surface of the toner container cover is removed. FIG. 24 is a partially broken view showing a modified example of the toner container.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In the following description, the vertical direction 6 is defined with reference to a state (the state shown in FIG. 1) in which the image forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is installed on a flat support surface. Also, the front-rear direction 7 is defined with the left side of the paper surface of FIG. Further, a horizontal direction 8 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1) is defined when the image forming apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 is viewed from the front. Accordingly, the front side is the right side of the image forming apparatus 10 and the back side is the left side with respect to the paper surface of FIG.

[Image forming apparatus 10]
The image forming apparatus 10 is an apparatus having at least a printing function. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 is a so-called tandem type color printer. The image forming apparatus 10 prints an image on a sheet-like printing paper using a developer containing toner. The image forming apparatus 10 only needs to have a printing function. For example, the image forming apparatus 10 may be an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions including the printing function, a FAX apparatus, and a copying machine. Good. Of course, not a color image but a single color image may be formed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 mainly includes four image forming units 21, an intermediate transfer unit 22, a paper feeding device 25, a fixing device 26, a secondary transfer device 27, and an exposure device 24. And four toner containers 50 (50A to 50D). These components are attached to an apparatus main body 28 as a casing constituting an external frame (not shown) and an internal frame (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 10. The toner container 50 is an example of a toner container in the image forming apparatus 10.

  The four image forming units 21 are disposed below the intermediate transfer unit 22 inside the apparatus main body 28. The image forming units 21 are arranged in parallel along the front-rear direction 7. Each image forming unit 21 executes an image forming process for forming an image on printing paper based on a so-called electrophotographic system. Specifically, each image forming unit 21 prints an image on printing paper based on image data input from the outside via a network communication unit (not shown). The image forming unit 21 includes a photosensitive drum 11, a charging device (not shown), a developing device 12, a primary transfer device 13, and the like. The image forming unit 21 forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum 11 and sequentially superimposes and transfers the toner image onto a transfer belt 23 provided in the intermediate transfer unit 22. The transfer belt 23 moves in the direction of the arrow 19 and the toner images are sequentially transferred onto the moving transfer belt 23. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the image forming units 21 corresponding to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow are arranged in a row in order from the downstream side in the movement direction (arrow 19 direction) of the transfer belt 23 in the apparatus main body 28. Is arranged.

The intermediate transfer unit 22 is disposed above the image forming unit 21. A driving pulley 31 and a driven pulley 32 are provided at both ends in the front-rear direction 7 of the intermediate transfer unit 22. The transfer belt 23 is supported so as to hang over the driving pulley 31 and the driven pulley 32. Thereby, the belt surface extends in the front-rear direction 7 in a horizontal state. Further, since the transfer belt 23 is supported by the driving pulley 31 and the driven pulley 32, the transfer belt 23 can move (run) in the direction of the arrow 19 while the surface thereof is in contact with the surface of each photosensitive drum 11. . The transfer belt 23 is an endless annular belt made of a material such as rubber or urethane.

  The secondary transfer device 27 transfers the toner image composed of a plurality of colors transferred to the transfer belt 23 onto the printing paper. The printing paper on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 26. The fixing device 26 fixes the toner image transferred to the printing paper on the printing paper by heat. The fixing device 26 includes a heating roller 26A that is heated to a high temperature, and a pressure roller 26B that is disposed to face the heating roller 26A. The printing paper conveyed to the fixing device 26 is conveyed while being nipped by a predetermined urging force at the nip portion between the heating roller 26A and the pressure roller 26B, so that the toner image is fused to the printing paper. Thereafter, the printing paper is discharged to a paper discharge tray 29 provided on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 28.

  The image forming apparatus 10 may have a configuration in which the transfer belt 23 is used as a conveyance belt, and the toner image is directly superimposed and transferred onto a printing sheet conveyed on the conveyance belt. Further, the image forming apparatus 10 may be configured to use a roller-shaped intermediate transfer member instead of the transfer belt 23.

  The four toner containers 50 (50 </ b> A to 50 </ b> D) are disposed above the intermediate transfer unit 22. The four toner containers 50 are arranged in a line along the transfer belt 23 in the front-rear direction 7 inside the apparatus main body 28. The toner container 50 is configured to supply toner to the corresponding color developing device 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a mounting portion 34 for mounting a plurality of toner containers 50 is provided inside the apparatus main body 28. Specifically, the mounting portion 34 is provided on the upper portion of the intermediate transfer unit 22. A top cover 33 at the top of the apparatus main body 28 is supported so as to be openable and closable around a support shaft 33A (see FIG. 1) of the apparatus main body 28. When the top cover 33 is rotated upward (in the opening direction), the mounting portion 34 to which the toner container 50 is mounted is exposed. The mounting portion 34 is integrally formed on the upper portion of the intermediate transfer unit 22, and each toner container 50 is mounted so as to be stored in the mounting portion 34. The mounting portion 34 is not limited to being integrally formed on the upper portion of the intermediate transfer unit 22, and may be attached to the apparatus main body 28 as a separate member from the intermediate transfer unit 22.

  Each toner container 50 stores toner of a color corresponding to each color of the image forming unit 21. Specifically, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow toners are individually stored in the respective toner containers 50 (50A to 50D). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, among the four toner containers 50, the rearmost toner container 50A is of a larger capacity type than the other toner containers 50B to 50D. Contains color toner. Further, the toner containers 50B to 50D have the same shape and the same capacity. The toner container 50B contains cyan toner, the toner container 50C contains magenta toner, and the toner container 50D contains yellow toner.

[Configuration of Toner Container 50]
Hereinafter, the configuration of the toner container 50 will be described. Here, the large-capacity type toner container 50A and the other toner containers 50B to 50D have the same configuration except that the size of the toner container is different. Further, the toner containers 50B to 50D have the same configuration except that the arrangement positions are different. Therefore, in the following description, the toner containers 50A to 50D will be described as the toner container 50.

  The toner container 50 stores toner supplied to the developing device 12. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the toner container 50 includes a casing 51, a toner discharge port 52 (see FIG. 4), an opening / closing mechanism 53 (see FIG. 4), an operation unit 54, a cover 72, It has. These are provided on the side surface of the toner container 50. The opening / closing mechanism 53 is an example of an opening / closing member of the present invention. The casing 51 is attached to the attachment unit 34 of the image forming apparatus 10. The toner is accommodated in the housing 51. As shown in FIG. 4, the toner discharge port 52 is formed in the housing 51. The toner discharge port 52 is formed at the right end of the bottom surface of the housing 51. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the operation unit 54 is provided in the housing 51 so that it can be operated by the user.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the apparatus main body 28 includes support plates 42 and 43 to which the housing 51 is attached. The support plates 42 and 43 are formed in a plate shape and extend in the front-rear direction 7. The support plates 42 and 43 are disposed at positions facing each other in the mounting portion 34. As shown in FIG. 2, the support plate 42 is erected on the left end portion of the mounting portion 34. As shown in FIG. 3, the support plate 43 is erected on the right end portion of the mounting portion 34. The support plates 42 and 43 support both ends of the four toner containers 50.

  On the left side 43A (see FIG. 3) on one side (left side) of the support plate 43, a plurality of groove-shaped container guides 45 extending obliquely upward are formed. The container guide 45 is formed in a groove shape with the left side surface 43A of the support plate 43 recessed in the thickness direction. The container guide 45 is formed so that the upper end side of the support plate 43 is widened toward the end. The right end of the housing 51 is attached to the support plate 43 by being guided obliquely downward from the upper end of the support plate 43 by the container guide 45.

  The casing 51 is made of a resin material and is formed in a box shape long in the left-right direction 8 as shown in FIG. In other words, the longitudinal direction of the casing 51 coincides with the left-right direction 8 of the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 51 includes a container main body 55 and a lid portion 56. The container main body 55 is formed in a box shape with a bottom having an open top. The container main body 55 is an example of the container main body of the present invention. The lid part 56 closes the open part of the upper part of the container main body 55. Inside the container main body 55, a stirring member 800 (see FIG. 9) having paddle-shaped blades for stirring toner, and a conveying member 58 (see FIG. 9) having screw-shaped blades for transporting toner to the toner discharge port 52 are provided. ) And are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a cover 72 is provided so as to cover the right side wall 55 </ b> B of the container main body 55. The side wall 55B is provided with a toner filling port 59 for filling the inside of the housing 51 with toner. The toner filling port 59 is closed by a plug member 60.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 and 9, the toner discharge port 52 is formed in the toner container 50. Specifically, the toner discharge port 52 is formed on the right end side of the bottom of the container main body 55. The toner discharge port 52 is formed so as to penetrate the bottom wall of the container main body 55 downward. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, a substantially cylindrical projecting portion 55 </ b> A is formed at the right end portion of the container main body 55 so as to project rightward. The toner discharge port 52 is formed so as to penetrate the peripheral wall of the protrusion 55A downward.

  The opening / closing mechanism 53 opens and closes the toner discharge port 52, and includes a cylinder 61, an opening 62, a seal member 63, and a second connecting portion 79, as shown in FIG. The cylinder 61 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is inserted into the protrusion 55 </ b> A provided at the right end of the container body 55. The right end portion of the cylinder 61 is closed by an end surface portion 611. Further, a second connecting portion 79 described later is integrally provided at the right end portion of the cylinder 61. The opening 62 is formed on the side surface (lower surface) of the cylinder 61. Further, the seal member 63 is provided around the toner discharge port 52 on the inner wall surface of the protrusion 55A. The seal member 63 is for preventing toner scattering.

  A bearing 64 is formed inside the right end portion of the cylinder 61. One end of the conveying member 58 is rotatably supported in the cylinder 61 by the bearing 64. That is, the rotation axis P <b> 1 of the cylinder 61 is on the same axis as the rotation axis of the conveying member 58. The rotation axis P1 is an example of the first rotation shaft of the present invention.

  The cylinder 61 is rotatably attached to the protrusion 55A. When a rotational force is input to the second connecting portion 79, the cylinder 61 is rotated. As the cylinder 61 rotates and the opening 62 of the cylinder 61 overlaps the toner discharge port 52, the toner discharge port 52 is opened as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the position of the cylinder 61 where the toner discharge port 52 is opened (the position shown in FIG. 9) is referred to as an open position. When the cylinder 61 rotates to the open position, the toner in the housing 51 can be smoothly discharged from the toner discharge port 52 to the outside. On the other hand, when the cylinder 61 is rotated to a position where the peripheral wall portion of the cylinder 61 in which the opening 62 is not formed overlaps the toner discharge port 52, the toner discharge port 52 is blocked by the peripheral wall of the cylinder 61. Hereinafter, the position of the cylinder 61 where the toner discharge port 52 is closed is referred to as a closed position. When the cylinder 61 rotates to the closed position, the toner discharge port 52 is completely closed.

  The cylinder 61 can be displaced between the open position and the closed position by rotating the second connecting portion 79. That is, the toner discharge port 52 is opened and closed by rotating the cylinder 61. The second connecting portion 79 is connected to a drive transmission mechanism 76 (see FIGS. 20 and 21) provided in the apparatus main body 28 (specifically, the mounting portion 34) when the toner container 50 is mounted on the mounting portion 34. Is done. Thereby, the second connecting portion 79 can receive the rotational force from the drive transmission mechanism 76. The details of the drive transmission mechanism 76 and the second connecting portion 79 will be described later.

  When the toner container 50 is mounted on the mounting portion 34, the toner discharge port 52 is disposed at a position facing a communication port (not shown) formed in the intermediate transfer unit 22, and is in close contact with the communication port. Toner is supplied to the developing device 12 from the communication port via a conveyance path (not shown). The mounting position of the toner container 50 in the mounting unit 34 is determined so as to have such a positional relationship. The operation unit 54 is used to open and close the toner discharge port 52 in a state where the toner container 50 is mounted on the mounting unit 34. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the operation unit 54 is provided at the right end of the container main body 55. The operation portion 54 includes a shaft portion 66 that is rotatably supported by the container main body 55, and a lever 67 (an example of a lever member) that is fixed to the shaft portion 66 and extends from the shaft portion 66. The lever 67 is made of synthetic resin.

  The shaft portion 66 has a rotation axis P3 (see FIG. 10) that protrudes rightward from the right end portion of the housing 51. The lever 67 is rotatable integrally with the shaft portion 66 around the rotation axis P <b> 3 of the shaft portion 66. In the present embodiment, the operation unit 54 includes a first operation position (the posture shown in FIGS. 7A and 17A) where the lever 67 tilts forward, and a second operation position where the lever 67 tilts backward. (Posture shown in FIGS. 7B and 17C). In the present embodiment, when the lever 67 is operated between the first operation position and the second operation position, the cylinder 61 of the opening / closing mechanism 53 is moved to the closed position corresponding to the first operation position or the It is moved to one of the open positions corresponding to the second operation position. Here, the first operation position is an attitude corresponding to the closed position of the cylinder 61. Specifically, when the cylinder 61 is maintained at the closed position or is displaced to the closed position, the lever 67 is disposed at the first operation position. On the other hand, the second operation position is a posture corresponding to the open position of the cylinder 61. Specifically, when the cylinder 61 is maintained at the open position or is displaced to the open position, the lever 67 is disposed at the second operation position.

  In the present embodiment, as the operation position of the lever 67, in addition to the first operation position and the second operation position, a third operation position (see FIGS. 17D and 18D) is provided. The third operation position is a position rotated by a predetermined angle on the side opposite to the second operation position with respect to the first operation position, and is provided as a dedicated position for shipping the image forming apparatus 1 or the toner container 50. ing. That is, when the image forming apparatus 1 or the toner container 50 is shipped, the operation unit 54 has the lever 67 positioned at the third operation position. Once the user or the like has turned the third operation position to the first operation position or the second operation position, the user cannot return to the third operation position. Even when the lever 67 is located at the third operation position, the cylinder 61 is located at the closed position. Note that a configuration that cannot return to the first operation position when the lever 67 is rotated from the third operation position will be described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a cover 72 is attached to the right side wall 55 </ b> B of the container main body 55. The cover 72 is attached so as to cover the base end portion of the lever 67 and the lock member 100. An arcuate slit 72C is formed in the upper wall 72A of the cover 72, and the upper end of the lever 67 is exposed upward from the slit 72C. An opening 72D is formed in the right side wall 72B of the cover 72, and a first connecting portion 78 described later is exposed to the right from the opening 72D. The right wall 72B is formed with a guide groove 72E that extends vertically and opens downward. And as shown in FIG. 4, the to-be-pressed part 105 of the locking member 100 is exposed from the cover 72 in the guide groove 72E. The second connecting portion 79 of the cylinder 61 is not covered with the cover 72. Here, when the user grasps the side of the toner container 50 and holds the toner container 50, the user's finger exposed from the guide groove 72 </ b> E may hit the pressed portion 105 of the lock member 100. If the user's finger hits the pressed portion 105 and the pressed portion 105 is pushed upward, the toner discharge port 52 may be opened and the toner may leak out.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 46 of the support plate 43 is formed in a narrow plate shape, and the width d of the guide groove 72E (see FIG. 4) is narrow enough to allow the protrusion 46 to be inserted. The width is assumed. Specifically, the width d of the guide groove 72E is set to such a width that a general user's finger does not enter the guide groove 72E or even if the guide groove 72E slightly enters, the finger does not hit the pressed portion 105 of the lock member 100. Is set. The guide groove 72E is an example of the insertion hole of the present invention.

  The cover 72 has a block-shaped positioning protrusion 73 protruding rightward from the right end of the container body 55. The positioning protrusion 73 is formed in a width size that can be fitted into the container guide 45 (see FIG. 3), and is formed in a width size that is slightly smaller than the groove width of the container guide 45. As a result, the positioning protrusion 73 can be attached to the container guide 45. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the positioning projection 73 is fitted into the container guide 45 and is guided obliquely downward by the container guide 45, so that the housing 51 is attached to the support plate 43. It has become.

  A lock member 100 is provided at the right end of the container body 55. The lock member 100 is made of synthetic resin, and is for locking the operation unit 54 and the opening / closing mechanism 53 so as not to malfunction. That is, the lock member 100 brings the operation unit 54 into a locked state so that the operation of the operation unit 54 is restricted. Further, the lock member 100 brings the opening / closing mechanism 53 into a locked state so that the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing mechanism 53 is restricted. This will be specifically described below.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lock member 100 is covered with a cover 72. Above the opening 72D in the inner surface of the cover 72, the rotating axis of the agitating member 800 P3 cylindrical rotation support portion 700 on the parallel rotation axis P2 (see FIG. 10) (see FIG. 10) Is provided. In FIG. 10, the cover 72 is omitted, and only the rotation support portion 700 provided on the cover 72 is shown in a cross section (hatched portion). Rotation axis P2 is an example of the third rotation shaft of the present invention, rotation axis P3 is an example of a second rotation shaft of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, the lock member 100 includes a fitting portion 101 and an arm portion 102. The fitting portion 101 has a fitting hole 103 having substantially the same diameter as that of the rotation support portion 700. The fitting portion 101 is externally fitted to the rotation support portion 700 in a state in which the predetermined removal is prevented, and is rotatably supported by the rotation support portion 700. As shown in FIG. 10, the lock member 100 is positioned above the opening / closing mechanism 53 in the mounting posture in which the toner container 50 is mounted on the apparatus main body 28. Further, rotation axis P2 is located above the rotation axis P3. Arm 102 extends from the fitting portion 101 in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis P2 of the rotation support portion 700, first engagement portion 104 is formed at the distal end. The first engaging portion 104 protrudes in a claw shape from the main body portion of the arm portion 102 toward the opening / closing mechanism 53 side at a substantially right angle.

A first engaged portion 61 </ b> A is provided on an end surface portion 611 of the cylinder 61 of the opening / closing mechanism 53. Specifically, the first engaged portion 61A protrudes in a claw shape on a plane formed by the end surface portion 611 from a predetermined position of the outer peripheral portion of the end surface portion 611. The first engaged portion 61A is located at the upper part when the lever 67 is located at the first operation position. The first engaged portion 61A protrudes obliquely upward from the body portion of the end surface portion 611, first at the position of the rotation axial center P2 side of the lock member 100 than the first engagement portion 104 of the locking member 100 Engage with the engaging portion 104. Thereby, the rotation of the cylinder 61 is restricted, and the opening / closing mechanism 53 is locked in the closed position.

The lock member 100 has a pressed portion 105. The pressed portion 105 is pressed upward by the protrusion 46 of the support plate 43 in the process of attaching the toner container 50 to the apparatus main body 28. The locking member 100, the upward force applied from the protruding portion 46 as a rotational force in the pressed portion 105, rotates around the rotation axis P2 in a state of being pivotally supported by the pivot support portion 700. At this time, the first engaging portion 104 is separated from the first engaged portion 61A, and the lock of the opening / closing mechanism 53 is released (see FIGS. 17A and 17B).

  As shown in FIG. 11A, the engaged surface H1 that engages with the first engaging portion 104 of the first engaged portion 61A, and the first engaged portion of the first engaging portion 104. The engaging surface H2 that engages with the portion 61A is a flat surface. Here, when the first engaged portion 61A and the first engaging portion 104 engage with each other, the engaged surface H1 forms a predetermined angle α with respect to the engaging surface H2, and the first A portion on the distal end side of the first engaged portion 61 </ b> A engages with the engaging surface H <b> 2 of the first engaging portion 104.

  As a result, when the first engaged portion 61A and the first engaging portion 104 are engaged with each other and when an upward force is received from the protrusion 46, the first engaging portion 104 is The lock member 100 rotates away from the first engaged portion 61A without being caught by the first engaged portion 61A (see FIG. 11B).

  On the other hand, when the locking member 100 is rotated in the opposite direction by the operation of the lever 67 described later in the engaged state, the first engaged portion 61A and the first engaging portion 104 are slightly deformed. The first engaging portion 104 bites into the recess N1 formed by the first engaged portion 61A (see FIG. 11C). At this time, the first engaged portion 61A and the first engaging portion 104 are more firmly engaged.

  As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the lever 67 has a second engaged portion 67A. The second engaged portion 67A is provided at the base end side of the lever 67, that is, at a predetermined position near the rotation axis P3 of the lever 67. As shown in FIG. 12A, the lock member 100 has a second engagement portion 106. The second engaging portion 106 is formed at a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 102 in a portion opposite to the pressed portion 105. The second engaged portion 67A and the second engaging portion 106 can be engaged with each other (see FIG. 18A). In the second engaged portion 67A and the second engaging portion 106, the first engaged portion 61A and the first engaging portion 104 engage with each other to lock the opening / closing mechanism 53 in the closed position. Sometimes they engage each other. Thereby, the movement of the lever 67 located at the first operation position to the second operation position is restricted. The position of the lock member 100 at this time is referred to as a lock position.

  Further, when the lock member 100 is rotated by the upward force received from the protruding portion 46 in the pressed portion 105, the second engaging portion 106 is separated from the second engaged portion 67A. Thereby, the movement restriction (lock) of the lever 67 to the second operation position is released. The position where the movement restriction of the lever 67 to the second operation position is released is referred to as a lock release position. The lock release position does not mean a specific position when the lock member 100 is rotated by a specific angle. The lock member 100 moves away from the lock position and moves the lever 67 to the second operation position. It has a certain range in which the movement restriction is released.

  Thus, when the lock member 100 is located at the lock position, the lock member 100 engages with the opening / closing mechanism 53 and the lever 67, locks the opening / closing mechanism 53 in the closed position, and locks the lever 67 in the first operation position. To do. On the other hand, when the lock member 100 is located at the unlock position, the lock member 100 is separated from the open / close mechanism 53 and the lever 67, and the open / close mechanism 53 is rotated to the open position and the lever 67 is rotated to the second operation position. Movement is allowed.

  As described above, both the first engagement portion 104 and the second engagement portion 106 are formed on the arm portion 102 of the lock member 100. The second engaging portion 106 and the second engaged portion 67A are engaged at a position closer to the rotation support portion 700 than the engaging position between the first engaging portion 104 and the first engaged portion 61A. To do. As a result, when the lever 67 is rotated while the toner container 50 is not attached to the attachment portion 34, the engagement portion between the second engagement portion 106 and the second engagement portion 67A is damaged. Can be prevented.

That is, when an operating force is applied to the lever 67 while the second engaged portion 67A and the second engaging portion 106 are engaged, the second engaged portion 67A changes to the second engaging portion 106. Power is added. Here, as much as possible close to the rotation axis P2 of the lock member 100 can be made smaller moment of the force. As a result, the load applied to the second engaging portion 106 can be reduced, and an operating force is applied to the lever 67 while the second engaged portion 67A and the second engaging portion 106 are engaged. Even in such a case, it is possible to prevent the lock member 100 from being damaged.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the lever 67 has a lever side extending portion 671. The lever side extending portion 671 includes a sliding contact portion 672 and an engaging portion 673. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the sliding contact portion 672 has a curved shape that extends in the direction of rotation of the lever 67 from the first operation position to the second operation position. The engaging portion 673 is provided on the upper surface of the sliding contact portion 672 and protrudes upward. The upper end of the engaging portion 673 is in sliding contact with the upper inner wall surface 721 (see FIG. 18) of the cover 72 when the lever 67 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the lock member 100 has a lock-side extending portion 110. The lock-side extension part 110 includes an elastic deformation part 111 and a sliding contact part 112. The elastic deformation portion 111 is a portion extending from the main body portion of the lock member 100 such that a cross section by a plane passing through the rotation axis P2 has a substantially L shape. The sliding contact portion 112 is provided at the tip which is the free end of the elastic deformation portion 111. The elastic deformation portion 111 and the sliding contact portion 112 have a flat plate shape and are orthogonal to each other. The sliding contact portion 112 has a shape having tapered portions that are inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the lever side extending portion 671 on both sides in the direction along the locus. In this embodiment, the sliding contact portion 112 has a trapezoidal shape in which the lower base is longer than the upper base, and the side between the top portion 1121 corresponding to the upper base and the upper and lower bases (four sides in the trapezoid). Tapered portions 1122 and 1123 corresponding to two sides other than two sides parallel to each other) are provided. Note that the shape of the sliding contact portion 112 is not limited to a trapezoidal shape, and may be a triangular shape.

  The sliding contact portion 112 does not contact other members when the lock member 100 is located at the lock position and the lever 67 is located at the first operation position or the second operation position. When the locking member 100 is pushed upward from the locking position by the protrusion 46, the sliding contact portion 112 enters the movement locus of the sliding contact portion 672 of the lever side extending portion 671 when the lever 67 rotates. To do. Therefore, when the lever 67 unlocked by the lock member 100 is operated, the sliding contact portion 672 comes into contact with the sliding contact portion 112.

  Here, the distance from the rotation axis P3 of the lever 67 to the sliding contact surface 672A is shorter than the distance from the rotation axis P3 to the top 1121 of the sliding contact portion 112. Therefore, when the lever 67 is rotated, the sliding contact portion 672 comes into contact with the tapered portions 1122 and 1123 of the sliding contact portion 112 as shown in FIG. Further, when a further turning operation of the lever 67 is performed, as shown in FIGS. 16B and 16C, the sliding contact portion 112 and the sliding contact portion 112 are guided by the guide function by the tapered portions 1122 and 1123 of the sliding contact portion 112. The sliding contact portion 672 is smoothly guided while the lock-side extending portion 110 is elastically deformed so that the sliding contact portion 112 gradually approaches the rotation axis P2 without being caught by the sliding contact portion 672. Then, as shown in FIG. 16C, the top portion 1121 of the sliding contact portion 112 eventually comes into contact with the sliding contact surface 672A of the sliding contact portion 672.

  When the lever 67 is rotated from the first operation position (position shown in FIG. 17A) to the second operation position (position shown in FIG. 17C), the top of the sliding contact portion 112 is obtained. 1121 is in sliding contact with the sliding contact surface 672A of the sliding contact portion 672. Then, when the lever 67 reaches the first operation position from the second operation position or reaches the second operation position from the first operation position, as shown in FIG. The portion 112 and the sliding contact portion 672 are separated from each other. That is, the lever-side extending portion 671 is in sliding contact with the tapered portions 1122 and 1123 until the lever-side extending portion 671 comes into contact with the radial end portion of the sliding contact portion 112.

  The slidable contact portion 112 that is elastically deformed from when the top portion 1121 of the slidable contact portion 112 starts to slidably contact the slidable contact surface 672A of the slidable contact portion 672 until the top portion 1121 of the slidable contact portion 112 moves away from the slidable contact surface 672A. The lever 67 is biased to be pushed back to the first operation position via the sliding surface 672A. Thereby, resistance is given to the turning operation of the lever 67 by the user. On the other hand, when the lever 67 reaches the second operation position from the first operation position, or when the lever 67 reaches the first operation position from the second operation position, the top portion 1121 of the sliding contact portion 112 is covered by the sliding contact portion 672. The resistance is lost by moving away from the sliding surface 672A. In this way, the operating force of the lever 67 is greatly different between when the lever 67 reaches the first operating position or the second operating position. Thereby, the user can sense that the lever 67 has reached the first operation position or the second operation position, and can give the user a good feeling of operation of the lever 67.

As shown in FIG. 18C, when the lever 67 reaches the second operation position from the first operation position, the engagement portion 673 is provided with a recess 72 F provided at a predetermined position of the cover 72. Fit into. The recess 72 F, when the lever 67 is operated to rotate the first operating position from the second operating position, a moderately strong rotation force lever 67 a predetermined depth required for turning operations Have. Therefore, the lever 67 is held at the second operation position within a range where the rotational power smaller than the rotational power acts on the lever 67. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18 (C), recesses 72 for F has a length of constant rotation direction of the lever, the lever 67 is rotatable in a range of small angles However, even if the lever 67 is rotated within this minute angle range, the opening / closing mechanism 53 is held in the open position.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 18, the cover 72 has an engaged portion 7211. The engaged portion 7211 is a convex portion provided on the upper inner wall surface 721 of the cover 72. As shown in FIGS. 14 (A) and 14 (B), the engaged portion 7211 is formed by the cover 72 when the lever 67 is rotated from the third operation position toward the second operation position. The upper end of the engaging portion 673 that is in sliding contact with the upper inner wall surface 721 has an inclined surface 7212 that can ride over the engaged portion 7211. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 14C and 14D, the engaged portion 7211 has an engaging portion 673 when the lever 67 is rotated from the second operation position to the first operation position. Has a vertical wall surface 7213 on which the engaged portion 7211 cannot ride. The engaging portion 673 is fitted into a space K1 (see FIG. 14C) formed by the upper inner wall surface 721 and the vertical wall surface 7213 of the engaged portion 7211, and further rotation of the lever 67 is restricted. Is done.

  With such a configuration, once the lever 67 is rotated from the third operation position to the first operation position or the second operation position by the user or the like, it cannot be returned to the third operation position. The first operation position is a position where the protrusion 722 and the engaging portion 673 in the lever side extending portion 671 are engaged.

  The thickness X (see FIG. 12) of the elastic deformation portion 111 in the lock-side extension portion 110 is relatively thin, and as described above, the sliding contact portion is caused by the displacement of the lever-side extension portion 671 as the lever 67 rotates. It is elastically deformable in the radial direction (arrow W1 in FIG. 15) of the arc-shaped locus drawn by 672. On the other hand, the width Y (see FIG. 12) of the elastically deformable portion 111 is relatively wide and at least longer than the length of the thickness X. Therefore, the elastic deformation portion 6711 has higher rigidity in the direction along the locus (arrow W2) than in the radial direction (arrow W1).

  In the present embodiment, the lock-side extending portion 110 has high rigidity in the direction of the locus (arrow W2), so that the following effects can be obtained. That is, as shown in FIG. 15B, when the lever 67 is rotated from the first operation position to the second operation position, the sliding contact portion 672 of the lever side extending portion 671 is in the direction of the arrow V1. When dragged, the drag force F <b> 1 acts on the elastic deformation portion 111 from the sliding contact portion 672. However, since the lock-side extension portion 110 has high rigidity in the direction of the locus (arrow W2), the lock-side extension portion 110 is not bent with respect to the main body portion of the lock member 100 due to the drag force F1. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 15C, when the lever 67 is rotated from the second operation position to the first operation position, the sliding contact portion 672 of the lever side extending portion 671 is indicated by the arrow V2. If the drag force F2 is applied to the elastically deformable portion 111 from the sliding contact portion 672 of the lever side extending portion 671 when moved in the direction, the lock side extending portion 110 of the lock member 100 is caused by the drag force F2. Do not bend against the body part.

  FIG. 19 shows the appearance of the support plate 43. 20 and 21 show the drive transmission mechanism 76 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the drive transmission mechanism 76. FIG. 19 is a view of the support plate 43 as viewed from the left side surface 43A. FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of the periphery of one container guide 45 in FIG. FIG. 21 is a view of the support plate 43 as seen from the right side surface 43B. FIG. 22A shows a state when the lever 67 is in the first operation position. FIG. 22B shows a state where the lever 67 is at an intermediate position between the first operation position and the second operation position. FIG. 22C shows a state when the lever 67 is in the second operation position.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the drive transmission mechanism 76 is provided on the right side surface 43 </ b> B of the support plate 43. A lower portion of the container guide 45 in the support plate 43 is divided into a fork of a first groove 45A and a second groove 45B. Between the first groove portion 45A and the second groove portion 45B, a protrusion 46 extending along the first groove portion 45A and the second groove portion 45B is formed.

  When the cover 72 is guided in the obliquely downward mounting direction by the container guide 45, the protrusion 46 is inserted into the guide groove 72E of the cover 72. Thereafter, the upper end of the ridge 46 as the protrusion abuts against the pressed portion 105 of the lock member 100 to push up the lock member 100. In this way, when the toner container 50 is mounted on the support plate 43, the lock member 100 abuts on the protrusion 46 and moves in the unlocking direction, so that the operation unit 54 and the opening / closing mechanism by the lock member 100 are operated. 53 is unlocked.

  As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the apparatus main body 28 is provided with a drive transmission mechanism 76. The drive transmission mechanism 76 is provided on the support plate 43 constituting the apparatus main body 28. In the present embodiment, four drive transmission mechanisms 76 are provided corresponding to the four toner containers 50. The drive transmission mechanisms 76 are provided on the right side surface 43 </ b> B of the support plate 43 side by side in the front-rear direction 7.

  The drive transmission mechanism 76 is configured to transmit the operation driving force (driving force) input by the operation of the lever 67 of the operation unit 54 to the opening / closing mechanism 53 in a state where the toner container 50 is mounted on the support plate 43. ing.

  The drive transmission mechanism 76 includes a first rotation unit 74 (input transmission unit), an intermediate rotation unit 81 (intermediate transmission unit), and a second rotation unit 75 (output transmission unit). The first rotation unit 74 is a part that receives an operation driving force input by the operation unit 54 when the lever 67 of the operation unit 54 is operated. The first rotation unit 74 that has received the operation driving force transmits the operation driving force to the intermediate rotation unit 81. The intermediate rotation unit 81 is a part that receives the operation driving force input by operating the lever 67 of the operation unit 54 from the first rotation unit 74, and transmits the received operation driving force to the second rotation unit 75. The second rotating portion 75 is a portion that receives the operation driving force transmitted from the intermediate rotating portion 81 and outputs (transmits) the operation driving force to the outside (opening / closing mechanism 53). In other words, the second rotating unit 75 receives the operation driving force transmitted from the first rotating unit 74 via the intermediate rotating unit 81 and outputs (transmits) the operation driving force to the outside (opening / closing mechanism 53). To do. The first rotating unit 74 is rotatable by receiving the operation driving force. The intermediate rotation unit 81 can rotate in conjunction with the first rotation unit 74. The second rotating unit 75 can rotate in conjunction with the first rotating unit 74 and the intermediate rotating unit 81.

  The first rotating portion 74 is disposed at the lower end of the first groove portion 45 </ b> A of the container guide 45 and is rotatably supported by the support plate 43. On the other hand, the 2nd rotation part 75 is arrange | positioned at the lower end of the 2nd groove part 45B, and is supported by the support plate 43 rotatably. The first rotating unit 74 and the second rotating unit 75 are separated from each other and are not configured to transmit driving directly. An intermediate rotation unit 81 is provided between the first rotation unit 74 and the second rotation unit 75, and the intermediate rotation unit 81 is rotatably supported by the support plate 43. The intermediate rotation unit 81 is coupled to the first rotation unit 74 and the second rotation unit 75 so as to be able to transmit driving.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the 1st rotation part 74 is a rotary body which has 1st gear part 74A. Moreover, the 2nd rotation part 75 is a rotary body which has 2nd gear part 75A (gear part). The intermediate rotation part 81 is a rotating body having an intermediate gear part 81A (gear part) that meshes with each of the first gear part 74A and the second gear part 75A. The first gear portion 74 </ b> A is integrally formed with the first rotating portion 74. The intermediate gear portion 81A is integrally formed with the intermediate rotation portion 81. The second gear portion 75A is integrally formed with the second rotating portion 75. Therefore, when the first rotating portion 74 rotates in a state where the first gear portion 74A and the intermediate gear portion 81A are engaged and the intermediate gear portion 81A and the second gear portion 75A are engaged, the intermediate rotating portion 81 is The second rotating unit 75 rotates in the same direction as the rotating direction of the first rotating unit 74.

  In the present embodiment, the first gear portion 74A and the second gear portion 75A are set such that the rotation angle of the first rotation portion 74 and the rotation angle of the second rotation portion 75 are the same. Specifically, the number of teeth and the pitch of each of the first gear portion 74A and the second gear portion 75A are formed to be the same. For this reason, for example, when the 1st rotation part 74 rotates 45 degrees with the lever 67, the 2nd rotation part 75 also rotates 45 degrees.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the drive transmission mechanism 76 includes a spring 77 (biasing member). The spring 77 moves the opening / closing mechanism 53 to the closed position via the second rotating portion 75 when the lever 67 is positioned at the first operation position with the toner container 50 mounted on the mounting portion 34. Energize towards. In addition, the spring 77 moves the opening / closing mechanism 53 through the second rotating portion 75 when the lever 67 is located at the second operation position in a state where the toner container 50 is mounted on the mounting portion 34. Energize towards the open position.

  The spring 77 is interposed between the intermediate rotating part 81 and the second rotating part 75. The spring 77 is, for example, a coil spring. In the present embodiment, the spring 77 is attached so as to expand and contract by rotating the intermediate rotating portion 81 and the first rotating portion 74 according to the operation of the lever 67. In detail, the intermediate | middle rotation part 81 has the 1st support piece 81B which protrudes to a radial direction outer side from the outer peripheral surface. The first support piece 81 </ b> B is a portion to which an end portion on one side of the spring 77 is fixed. That is, the first support piece 81 </ b> B supports one end of the spring 77. Since the first support piece 81B also rotates with the rotation of the intermediate rotation part 81, the support position of the spring 77 by the first support piece 81B changes when the intermediate rotation part 81 rotates. The second rotating portion 75 has a second support piece 75C that protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface thereof. The second support piece 75 </ b> C is a portion to which the other end of the spring 77 is fixed. That is, the second support piece 75 </ b> C supports the other end of the spring 77. Since the second support piece 75C also rotates with the rotation of the intermediate rotation part 81, the support position of the spring 77 by the second support piece 75C changes when the intermediate rotation part 81 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 21, a spring 77 is attached between the first support piece 81B and the second support piece 75C. The spring 77 is a so-called tension spring that constantly generates a spring force in the contracting direction. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22B, the first support piece 81B and the second support piece 75C are arranged on a line segment connecting the center of the intermediate rotation part 81 and the center of the second rotation part 75. Then, the spring force of the spring 77 is balanced, and the intermediate rotating part 81 and the second rotating part 75 are kept stationary. In this state, the spring 77 is extended to the maximum. Thus, the positions of the lever 67 and the cylinder 61 when the spring 77 is in a balanced state are determined in advance. Specifically, the lever 67 is at an intermediate position between the first operation position and the second operation position. Yes, the cylinder 61 is an intermediate position between the open position and the closed position. Here, the intermediate position of the lever 67 is an example of a predetermined position excluding the first operation position and the second operation position within the operation range of the lever 67.

  When the lever 67 is operated from the intermediate position to the first operation position side from the state shown in FIG. 22B, the balance of the spring 77 is released. Specifically, by operating the lever 67, the first rotating unit 74 rotates the intermediate rotating unit 81 in the clockwise direction, and the intermediate rotating unit 81 further rotates the second rotating unit 75 in the counterclockwise direction. In this case, as shown in FIG. 22A, the spring 77 further rotates the intermediate rotating portion 81 in the clockwise direction by the force in the contraction direction, and further rotates the second rotating portion 75 in the counterclockwise direction. . At this time, the intermediate rotating portion 81 and the second rotating portion 75 are rotated by the force of only the spring 77 to the lever 67 operated from the intermediate position even if no operation driving force is input thereafter. Thereby, the rotation of the second rotating portion 75 is transmitted to the cylinder 61, and the cylinder 61 is reliably displaced to the open position by the urging force of the spring 77.

  On the other hand, when the lever 67 is operated from the intermediate position to the second operation position side from the state shown in FIG. 22B, the balance of the spring 77 is released. Specifically, by operating the lever 67, the first rotation unit 74 rotates the intermediate rotation unit 81 in the counterclockwise rotation direction, and the intermediate rotation unit 81 further rotates the second rotation unit 75 in the clockwise direction. In this case, as shown in FIG. 22B, the spring 77 further rotates the intermediate rotating portion 81 in the counterclockwise direction by the force in the contraction direction, and further rotates the second rotating portion 75 in the clockwise direction. . At this time, the intermediate rotating portion 81 and the second rotating portion 75 are rotated by the force of only the spring 77 to the lever 67 operated from the intermediate position even if no operation driving force is input thereafter. Thereby, the rotation of the second rotating portion 75 is transmitted to the cylinder 61, and the cylinder 61 is reliably displaced to the closed position by the urging force of the spring 77.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the operation unit 54 includes a first connecting portion 78. The first connecting portion 78 rotates when the lever 67 is operated. The first connecting portion 78 is formed integrally with the right end of the shaft portion 66. The first connecting portion 78 is formed in a plate shape protruding rightward from the right end of the shaft portion 66. The first connecting portion 78 extends in the mounting direction (that is, obliquely downward) in which the cover 72 is guided by the container guide 45 when the housing 51 is mounted on the support plate 43. The first connecting portion 78 is connected to the first rotating portion 74 of the drive transmission mechanism 76 in a state where the toner container 50 is mounted on the container guide 45 of the support plate 43. That is, the first connecting portion 78 is connected to the first rotating portion 74 when the toner container 50 is mounted. Thereby, the operation driving force input when operating the operation unit 54 can be transmitted to the first rotation unit 74.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the first rotation portion 74 of the drive transmission mechanism 76 is formed with a first connection groove 74 </ b> B to which the first connection portion 78 of the toner container 50 is connected. At least a part of the first connecting groove 74B extends linearly. On the other hand, the first connecting portion 78 has a shape that fits into the first connecting groove 74B. That is, the groove width of the first connection groove 74 </ b> B is substantially the same as the thickness of the first connection portion 78. The first connecting portion 78 is inserted into the first connecting groove 74 </ b> B when the casing 51 is attached to the apparatus main body 28, and is connected to the first rotating portion 74 so as to be integrally rotatable.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the opening / closing mechanism 53 of the toner container 50 includes a second connecting portion 79 that rotates integrally with the cylinder 61. The second connecting portion 79 is formed integrally with the right end of the cylinder 61. The second connecting portion 79 protrudes rightward from the right end of the cylinder 61. The second connecting portion 79 has a bowl-shaped cross section orthogonal to the axial direction of the cylinder 61. The second connecting portion 79 is a portion that receives the operation driving force from the second rotating portion 75 of the drive transmission mechanism 76. The second connecting portion 79 is connected to the second rotating portion 75 of the drive transmission mechanism 76 in a state where the toner container 50 is mounted on the container guide 45 of the support plate 43. In other words, the second connecting portion 79 is connected to the second rotating portion 75 when the toner container 50 is mounted. Thereby, the operation driving force can be transmitted to the second connecting portion 79 via the first rotating portion 74, the intermediate rotating portion 81, and the second rotating portion 75.

  The second connecting portion 79 extends in the mounting direction (that is, obliquely downward) in which the cover 72 is guided by the container guide 45 when the housing 51 is mounted on the support plate 43. The thickness of the second connecting portion 79 is larger than the thickness of the first connecting portion 78.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the second rotation portion 75 of the drive transmission mechanism 76 is formed with a second connection groove 75 </ b> B to which the second connection portion 79 of the toner container 50 is connected. At least a part of the second connection groove 75B extends linearly. On the other hand, the second connecting portion 79 (see FIGS. 4 to 6) has a shape that fits into the second connecting groove 75B. That is, the second connecting groove 75B has a groove width that is substantially the same as the thickness of the second connecting portion 79. Therefore, the groove width of the second connection groove 75B is different from the groove width of the first connection groove 74B. The second connecting portion 79 is inserted into the second connecting groove 75 </ b> B when the housing 51 is mounted on the support plate 43, and is connected to the second rotating portion 75 so as to be integrally rotatable. The opening / closing mechanism 53 is configured to open and close the toner discharge port 52 by rotating the cylinder 61 when the second connecting portion 79 rotates integrally with the second rotating portion 75.

  Next, the attaching / detaching operation of the toner container 50 to / from the apparatus main body 28 will be described.

Before the toner container 50 is attached to the apparatus main body 28, the toner discharge port 52 is closed by the cylinder 61, and the operation unit 54 and the opening / closing mechanism 53 are locked by the lock member 100. At this time, the first coupling portion 78 and the second connecting portion 79, as shown in FIG. 8 (A), extending the mounting direction of cover 7 2 is guided by the container guide 45 (i.e., obliquely downward), respectively ing. The lever 67 is located at the first operation position, and the cylinder 61 is located at the closed position.

Further, before the toner container 50 is attached to the apparatus main body 28, the first connection groove 74B of the first rotation unit 74 and the second connection groove 75B of the second rotation unit 75 in the drive transmission mechanism 76 are illustrated in FIG. as shown in a), and extends in a direction that the container guide 45 extends (i.e., the mounting direction of cover 7 2 is guided).

The case of mounting the toner container 50 to the support plate 43, inserting the cover 7 2 to the container guide 45 of the support plate 43. Then, cover 7 2 is guided obliquely downward by the container guides 45. The first connecting portion 78 of the toner container 50 is guided by the first groove 45A, and the second connecting portion 79 is guided by the second groove 45B. The first connecting part 78 is connected to the first connecting groove 74B of the first rotating part 74, and the second connecting part 79 is connected to the second connecting groove 75B of the second rotating part 75.

Further, when the cover 7 2 is guided by the container guide 45, the upper end of the protruding portion 46 pushes up the lock member 100 abuts against the pressed portion 105 of the locking member 100. Accordingly, the opening / closing mechanism 53 and the lever 67 are separated from each other, the opening / closing mechanism 53 is allowed to rotate to the open position, and the lever 67 is allowed to rotate to the second operation position, and the first connecting portion 78 is moved to the first position. With the second connecting portion 79 connected to the rotating portion 74 and the second connecting portion 79 connected to the second rotating portion 75, the operation portion 54 and the opening / closing mechanism 53 of the toner container 50 are unlocked.

  Next, the toner discharge port 52 is opened by rotating the lever 67 of the operation unit 54. Specifically, the lever 67 is directed from the third operation position (see FIGS. 17D and 18D) to the second operation position (see FIGS. 17C and 18C). Rotate.

  When the lever 67 of the operation unit 54 is rotated while the toner container 50 is mounted on the support plate 43, the operation driving force is input to the first connection unit 78 via the shaft portion 66 of the operation unit 54. Thereby, the shaft part 66 and the first connecting part 78 rotate in the clockwise direction integrally with the lever 67 (see FIGS. 8B and 17B). That is, the first connecting portion 78 rotates by the same angle as the rotation angle of the lever 67.

  At this time, until the top 1121 of the slidable contact portion 112 moves away from the slidable contact surface 672A after the top portion 1121 of the slidable contact portion 112 starts to slidably contact the slidable contact surface 672A of the slidable contact portion 672, the slidable contact portion 112 remains. The lever 67 is biased to be pushed back to the first operation position via the sliding surface 672A. Thereby, resistance is given to the turning operation of the lever 67 by the user. As a result, the user can sense that the lever 67 has reached the second operation position, and can give the user a good feeling of operation of the lever 67.

As shown in FIG. 18C, when the lever 67 reaches the second operation position from the first operation position, the engagement portion 673 is provided with a recess 72 F provided at a predetermined position of the cover 72. Engage with. Thereby, the lever 67 is held at the second operation position.

Since the first connecting portion 78 is connected to the first rotating portion 74 of the drive transmission mechanism 76, the first connecting portion 78 rotates integrally with the first rotating portion 74. On the apparatus main body 28 side, as shown in FIG. 19, the first gear portion 74A of the first rotating portion 74 is engaged with the intermediate gear portion 81A of the intermediate rotating portion, and the intermediate gear portion 81A is the second rotating portion 75 of the second rotating portion 75. Since the second rotating portion 75 is engaged with the second gear portion 7 5 A, the operation driving force is transmitted from the first rotating portion 74 via the intermediate rotating portion, so that the rotation direction of the first rotating portion 74 is the same. Rotate in the direction of rotation.

  Since the second rotating portion 75 is connected to the second connecting portion 79 of the toner container 50, the second connecting portion 79 rotates integrally with the second rotating portion 75. Then, when the second connecting portion 79 rotates, the cylinder 61 rotates together with the second connecting portion 79 to the open position side.

  When closing the toner discharge port 52, the lever 67 of the operation unit 54 is moved from the second operation position (see FIGS. 8B and 17C) to the first operation position (FIGS. 8A and 17). (See (A)). Along with this rotation, the shaft portion 66 and the first connecting portion 78 rotate together with the lever 67 in the counterclockwise direction (see FIG. 8A). That is, the first connecting portion 78 rotates by the same angle as the rotation angle of the lever 67.

  On the apparatus main body 28 side, as shown in FIG. 19, the second rotation unit 75 receives the operation driving force from the first rotation unit 74 via the intermediate rotation unit, and the rotation direction of the first rotation unit 74. Rotate in the same direction. Since the second rotating portion 75 is connected to the second connecting portion 79 of the toner container 50, the second connecting portion 79 rotates integrally with the second rotating portion 75. Then, when the second connecting portion 79 rotates, the cylinder 61 rotates together with the second connecting portion 79 to the closed position side.

  At this time, until the top 1121 of the slidable contact portion 112 moves away from the slidable contact surface 672A after the top portion 1121 of the slidable contact portion 112 starts to slidably contact the slidable contact surface 672A of the slidable contact portion 672, the slidable contact portion 112 remains. The lever 67 is urged to be pushed back to the second operation position via the sliding surface 672A. Thereby, resistance is given to the rotation operation of the lever 67 by the user, and the user can sense that the lever 67 has reached the first operation position, and the user can feel a good operation feeling of the lever 67. Can be given to.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 20A, the engaging portion 673 is caught by the engaged portion 7211 provided at a predetermined position of the cover 72, and further rotation of the lever 67 is restricted. . As a result, the movement of the lever 67 is restricted at the first operation position.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not restricted to the thing of the content mentioned above, A various modification is applicable.

  The structure for locking the lever 67 and the opening / closing mechanism 53 and the drive transmission mechanism 76 are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following modifications may be employed.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the lower portion of the lock member 100 includes a protrusion 66 </ b> A integrally formed with the shaft portion 66 and a cylinder when the operation portion 54 and the opening / closing mechanism 53 are locked. It is clamped by the first engaged portion 61 </ b> A integrally formed with 61. Thereby, the lock member 100 does not rotate the shaft portion 66 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 24, and does not rotate the cylinder 61 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 14. That is, the lock member 100 restricts the shaft 66 from rotating in the clockwise direction, and restricts the cylinder 61 from rotating in the counterclockwise direction. Note that the lock member 100 is configured to release the locked state of the operation unit 54 and the opening / closing mechanism 53 by being slid upward in FIG.

  In the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus 10 including the four toner containers 50 is illustrated. However, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus including the one toner container 50.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the lever 67 can be arranged at the third operation position is illustrated, but the third operation position is not essential as the operation position of the lever 67.

10: image forming apparatus 34: mounting unit 50: toner container 52: toner discharge port 53: opening / closing mechanism 54: operation unit 67: lever 76: drive transmission mechanism 100: lock member 72: cover 101: fitting unit 102: arm unit 104: first engaging portion 61A: first engaged portion 105: pressed portion 67A :: second engaged portion 106 second: engaging portion 671: lever side extending portion 672: slidable contacting portion 673 : Engaging portion 110: lock side extending portion 111: elastic deformation portion 112: sliding contact portion 1122, 1123: taper portion 1121: top portion 672 A: sliding contact surface 7211: engaged portion 7212: inclined surface 7213: vertical wall surface

Claims (9)

A container main body which is detachable from the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus and contains toner;
A toner outlet formed in the container body;
An opening / closing member capable of opening and closing the toner discharge port by a rotation operation around a predetermined first rotation axis;
A lever member pivotally supported by a second rotation shaft parallel to the first rotation shaft and operated between a first operation position and a second operation position;
Between a lock position that is pivotally supported by a third rotation shaft parallel to the first rotation shaft and that locks the movement of the opening and closing member and the lever member, and a lock release position that releases the lock A locking member movable with
A lever side extending portion provided on the lever member and extending in a rotation direction of the lever member;
Rigidity in the direction along the trajectory compared to the radial direction of the arc-shaped trajectory drawn by the lever-side extension due to the displacement of the lever-side extension as the lever member rotates as the lever member rotates The lever member is rotated while the lock member is in the unlocked position, and the lever side extension is deformed in the radial direction by receiving a force from the lever side extension portion. A lock-side extension part that is in sliding contact with the installation part;
A toner container. The lock-side extending portion includes an elastically deformable portion that extends from a main body portion of the lock member and is deformable in the radial direction, and a sliding contact portion that is provided at a free end of the elastically deformable portion,
The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the slidable contact portion enters the locus as the lock member moves to the unlocking position.   The toner container according to claim 2, wherein a length of the elastically deforming portion along the locus is longer than a thickness of the radial direction. The sliding contact portion has tapered portions that are inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the lever side extending portion on both sides in the direction along the locus,
4. The toner container according to claim 2, wherein the lever-side extending portion is in sliding contact with the tapered portion until the lever-side extending portion comes into contact with the radial end portion of the sliding contact portion. The front sliding contact portion has a trapezoidal cross section by a plane orthogonal to the first rotation axis,
5. The toner container according to claim 2, wherein the first taper portion and the second taper portion are portions corresponding to two sides other than two sides parallel to each other among the four sides of the trapezoid. . The sliding contact portion has a triangular cross section by a plane orthogonal to the first rotation axis,
The toner container according to claim 2, wherein the tapered portion is a portion corresponding to two sides of the triangle.   The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the lever member has a third operation position on a side opposite to the first operation position in a direction along the locus with respect to the second operation position. The first rotation shaft is provided on the same axis as a rotation shaft of a transport member that transports the toner in the toner container toward the toner discharge port,
The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the second rotation shaft is connected to a rotation shaft of a stirring member that stirs the toner in the toner container. The device body;
The toner container according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.
With
The image forming apparatus includes a drive transmission mechanism that transmits a driving force input by operating the lever member to the opening / closing member when the toner container is mounted on the apparatus main body.